Strength of the Mind
by Persiana13
Summary: Fifth Story in the series, takes place in the DC Persiana-verse.  From inner demons, to ancient evils, to a mad despot's lust for power, the League learns what it means to have strength of the mind.
1. Chapter 1

**Strength of the Mind**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Sister, and Bast. _

Chapter 1: A New Foe 

Persiana was asleep in her bed onboard the Watchtower. Suddenly, she awoke, a shiver down her spine. She sat up and noticed the emergency lights were on. The lioness stretched like a cat and put on her costume, wondering,

_What's going on? _

Her feline eyes darted about, glowing green. The feline heroine turned and saw her bed vacant. She shook her head,

_I know I went to bed with Lance. Where is he? I would have heard him get up. _

She approached the doors, but they did not open. Inserting her fingers, she pried them open.

As she stepped through, she saw the bodies of all her friends and teammates, lying on the ground. The emergency lights then shut off, and power cables were shooting out electricity every so often. Persiana shook her head,

_This has to be a dream. This isn't real. _

Farrah's ears twitched at that moment, and she sniffed a scent. It was Lance, and he was bleeding. Quickly, she darted in that direction.

It was not long before she had reached the location that she saw Lance, hanging from the ceiling. He had been eviscerated, his entrails leaking out. In the darkness, something was moving, slopping up the blood like a hungry animal. Oddly, Persiana could not see who it was, but she shouted,

"What are you doing?"  
The figured stopped and looked up. Farrah was horrified at what she was seeing. It was the symbiote, and it had taken on a human form. It stood up and tilted its head slightly.

Persiana pounced, roaring,

"DIE!"  
The symbiote formed a mouth on its head and replied,

"Why? You were the one that killed them. All of them."

Persiana stopped dead in her tracks, and watched as the symbiote changed to look like her, except in a black costume that covered every inch of her body except her head and neck. The lioness watched as her symbiote counter part licked its lips hungrily,

"And now, for my dessert. Killing is such hungry business."

Her mouth widened inhumanly and a long tongue seized Persiana's leg. The lioness tried to fight back and resist, even embedding her sharp claws into the floor. However, what little resistance she provided failed, as she fell into a void of darkness.

Farrah woke up, screaming. Lance, who was sleeping next to her, woke up and held her,

"Farrah, what's wrong?"  
At first, the former Avenger resisted, but soon, remembered she was back at the Mansion, in bed with her boyfriend. She looked to her boyfriend, who had concern written in his eyes. He said,

"Baby, what's wrong?"  
He began holding her, rubbing her back and neck, trying to get her to calm down. Farrah held tightly, tears running down her cheek.

She shook her head,

"Lance, I can't sleep."

She was lying back down on the bed, on top of her lover. Farrah stared out at the window, her head on his stomach. Lance was petting her, trying to relax her again. He said,

"It's not your fault. That thing tried to take over."

Farrah looked at him, her neck and spine rotating like a cat,

"Lance, I know you're trying to make me feel better. I'm just restless."

She jumped off the bed and began putting her costume on,

"I need to see this thing up in the lab. I have to confront this sometime."

Lance sat up,

"Do you want me to go with you?"  
Persiana shook her head,

"No, this I have to do alone. You go back to sleep; I won't be long."  
She teleported up to the Watchtower. Lance smiled to himself,

"That's a strong woman."

**Aboard the Watchtower… **

Farrah was walking to the lab. Even thought many knew about the symbiote, a lot of heroes were keeping their distances. Especially Donna. Wonder Girl was very impressionable, and was a very good friend for Farrah to have. However, she had no idea if Donna was going to forgive her, or if she ever would. However, the attack was months ago, and since then, the two have talked and things seemed to be as they were.

As Persiana entered the lab, she noticed Simon Williams, the hero known as Wonder Man, Flash, and Blue Beetle. The speedster was making faces at the symbiote, while Beetle was rolling his eyes,

"Flash, stop being immature."

Simon shrugged,

"At least he's more mature than Bast. That woman is like a child."

Persiana grinned,

"I see she finally let you out into the world again. Tell me, how does being tied up with the goddess of felines feel like?"  
The ionic hero shook his head,

"I don't want to think about it now."

Farrah walked up to Flash, who was teasing the symbiote. The lioness rolled her eyes and looked at some charts on a clip board.

A haunting voice echoed in the lab,

"Farrah."

Farrah looked up,

"Ted, did you say something?"

The insect hero shook his head,

"No. I was busy looking at these readings. This thing is incredible. I have never seen anything like this before."

Farrah shrugged and went back to reading the charts and monitors. The voice said again,

"Faaarrrraaahh."

This time, the feline heroine spun around,

"Cut it out, Flash!"

Flash looked at her, surprised,

"Hey, it's not me."

The voice repeated,

"Faaaarrraaahh."

At this, the four people in the room tensed. Simon asked,

"Is that thing…talking to you, Farrah?"

The disembodied voice laughed,

"Took you long enough to figure it out. And Flash, you are so cute when you make faces."

Wally swallowed nervously,

"Uh, guys. I think the black oozy thing is talking."  
Suddenly, the ooze started bubbling. Despite being on the floor, it was rising. Blue Beetle looked at the monitors,

"I don't know what's happening. Simon, has a symbiote behaved like this before?"  
The former scientist shook his head,

"I've never heard of anything like this happening before."

From the bubbling ooze, there seemed to be the figure of a woman with a lithe, slender build. The figure had wrinkles in its arms and legs, like it had been smeared and dripping. The bubbling symbiote then took on more defined features, including arms and hands. Legs started to form shapely, perfectly feminine. The stomach was flat and the chest was ample and buxom, perfectly balancing the figure.

Blue Beetle took a wise precaution and sounded the alarm in the lab.

The symbiote's head then began forming. First, it looked like it was forming long hair; then, pointed ears formed on opposite sides of the head. Two large white eyes formed next, and one could almost swear they were cat-like. The head was taking on a more feline shape, yet still had many human features. The mouth formed, revealing large fangs and hissing.

The head of the symbiote then began growing whiter, until the skin was almost the complexion of a Caucasian woman in her late teens or early twenties. She had some distinctive cat-like features, but she could pass herself off as human. The eyes, narrow black slits, opened, and the head spun around one-hundred eighty degrees, glaring right at Persiana. The symbiote tilted her head,

"Hello, Farrah. My name is Sister. Remember me?"

Next Chapter:  
Familiar relations


	2. Chapter 2

**Strength of the Mind**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Bast, and Sister. _

Chapter 2: We're Related? 

Sister smiled,

"Come on, don't tell me you don't recognize me, your own sister?"  
Farrah was petrified. She wanted to confront the very thing that had caused so much misery for everyone and now, it took on a whole new dimension.

Persiana shook her head, rubbing her eyes in disbelief,

"You…look…like me?"  
The symbiote smiled,

"Of course, you were the first I came into contact with."

She examined her form,

"I have to admit, this is a remarkable form. The agility, the strength, the senses; not to mention, an attitude that borders on the more…homicidal, shall we say?"  
Flash swallowed nervously,

"This is getting freaky."

Simon shook his head,

"You aren't a symbiote, are you?"

Sister shook her head,

"Not by your definition; more of a replication. My race has traveled the cosmos, attempting to bond to life forms all over the universe. Grodd capture me shortly after my birth, but it was not until I met my sister…"  
She licked her lips hungrily at Farrah,

"…That we started to see potential in you. So much rage, anger, sadness; you couldn't ask for a better and more deserving…sibling."  
Farrah sneered,

"You and I are not sisters!"  
The symbiote laughed,

"Yes we are. Don't you remember? Captain America told you about strength being born from the mind."

At this, Persiana faltered. She fell to her knees,

"What?"

Sister laughed,

"Did you really think I just absorbed your powers? I also have your memories."  
At this time, Tigra, Miss Marvel, and Diana all entered the lab. Tigra asked,

"What's the problem?"

She then noticed the symbiote in the glass tube. The symbiote turned and smiled with feral drive,

"Greer, how good of you to come? Tell me, are you still screwing Hank, or have you decided to sleep with the next thing in pants?"

The tigress was stunned,

"Farrah?"

The symbiote shook her head,

"No, but call me Sister. Farrah and I are, aren't we?"

Persiana slammed her clipboard and shrieked,

"YOU ARE NOT RELATED TO ME AT ALL! CUT IT OUT RIGHT NOW!"  
She was panting, furious at what this…thing…was trying to do.

Miss Marvel shook her head,

"There's no way you two could be related."  
Sister grinned,

"Hey, Barbie. How did it feel to have your hair on fire?"  
Carol swallowed at that,

"On second thought, it could be."

Steel asked,

"Did the equipment malfunction?"  
Simon shook his head,

"No, but Sister says she is some sort of replicating symbiote."  
The symbiote laughed at Farrah,

"So, tell me, my sister. Do you think they'll let me out so we can braid each other's hair?"  
She clapped her hands excitedly,

"Better still, we can have a sleep over and talk about boys, eat popcorn and watch bad movies."  
Persiana lost it. She charged at the glass tube, roaring like an animal. The former Avenger did not even care the glass shattered, or that it had cut her. She wanted to strangle this thing, slice it into tiny, miniscule pieces.

Sister smirked evilly,

"Got ya."  
She laughed hysterically as Persiana was running her claws, but the symbiote healed almost as quickly,

"You of all people should know that I don't have a discernable internal anatomy, sister. Which means, I can do…THIS!"  
Several tendrils shot out from Sister's stomach, encasing Farrah in black ooze. The lioness screamed as Sister turned and noticed the other League members trying to reach for her. Diana tried to grab her, but Sister effortlessly slipped out of grip, smirking,

"No bones, remember?"  
She delivered an impossible kick, connecting hard to the Amazon's jaw. Blue Beetle fired his BB gun (1), but Sister bent over backwards in an almost effortlessly fluid motion. The shot hit Tigra and she got knocked back across the lab. She landed on all fours and hissed at Sister.

Miss Marvel launched an energy blast, but the symbiote formed a hole in her chest, and the blast went through harmlessly. Sister snickered,

"Geez, Pamela Anderson. Weren't you listening? I'll say it slow; No. Internal. Anatomy. Say it with me."

She jumped to the ceiling and began crawling around. Spying an air vent, the alien went for it, but Flash shook his head,

"I don't think so."  
He began spinning his arms, creating a tornado effect. This gust of wind sent Sister into the corner. However, she reverted to an oozy form and slowly seeped into the grates of the lab. Flash stopped and watched as Sister disappeared.

Blue Beetle tended to Tigra,

"Greer, are you all right?"  
Greer nodded,

"Yeah, what did you hit me with?"

Ted explained,

"It's a BB gun. It shoots compressed air and launches powerful strobe effects. It's actually pretty harmless."  
The were-tigress smirked,

"Cute."  
She stood up and looked at Persiana. There were glass shards in the lioness' costume, shoulders, arms, and hands. Slowly, Farrah removed each piece of glass, hissing in pain as some pieces had been embedded deeply into her flesh.

Tigra came to her,

"Let me help."

She wanted to, but Farrah growled like a cat,

"No."  
Persiana touched her side and a big piece was lodged in her hips. Tigra went to take it, despite the death glare she was getting.

The large piece was removed, albeit with some difficulty. Blood was spackled all over it, and Diana covered her mouth in shock,

"By Hera."

Persiana looked all over her body to see if the shards were gone. When she was satisfied, she stormed out of the lab, muttering some extremely choice phrases.

Flash looked after her,

"Shouldn't we help her?"

Simon rubbed his head, wincing from the pain,

"Yeah, considering she is more hot-headed than Greer this time."

Greer looked at the former villain,

"Please, Wonder Man. I've never been that bad."  
Carol nodded,

"I agree with him on this one."  
Flash zoomed out, chasing after Persiana.

When he caught up, he said,

"Look, you can't go after this thing alone. Besides, I saw how angry you got in there. You can't beat her."

Farrah glared daggers at the speedster,

"That thing thinks we're family, me and her! It's completely delusional!"

Wally took her hand,

"Hey, it's all right. We're all a little surprised by this thing. You need help tracking her, because I doubt even Cap would go after that thing without a plan."

Farrah nodded,

"Yeah, you're right. Flash, I don't know what I was thinking…"

She eyed him seductively,

"You always could make me see reason, Flash. You're so wise…and hot!"  
Wally scratched his head in confusion,

"OK, this is…Whoa!"  
He was tackled instantly by a drooling Farrah. On top, the were-lioness smiled lustfully,

"So, ever been with a fuzzy chick before?"

The Scarlet Speedster shook his head,

"No, not really."

Persiana grinned,

"Well, you're in a for a treat…"  
Suddenly, the red costume on Persiana's body changed to black and Wally was now staring at Sister. She grinned,

"Hello, Walter. Surprised?"  
She turned into her ooze form and the symbiote began taking over Wally's body.

Diana and Miss Marvel were leaving the lab when they saw what was happening. The Air Force Major shouted,

"Hands off, bitch!"  
She was about to launch an energy attack when the symbiote pulled away from Flash and lunged itself at Diana. The Amazon braced, defending herself, but the ooze sailed over her and into an air vent. As it seeped in, a head poked out and, rotating a full three-hundred sixty degrees, cackled,

"Can't catch me, losers!"  
She laughed all the way in the vents.

Carol groaned,

"This is bad, isn't it?"  
Diana nodded,

"Yes, we cannot allow that thing to leave the station."

Next Chapter:

Back To Earth

(1) This is not the toy version. For those that read comics, it is the weapon that has a strobe light and can knock somebody off their feet


	3. Chapter 3

**Strength of the Mind**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Sister, and Bast. _

Chapter 3: Escape 

Persiana was sniffing the air, in hot pursuit of Sister. Sister was navigating the air vents after her attack on Flash, and was actually stalking Persiana. The lioness and the symbiote met further down from the attack, and Sister grinned,

"Hello, sister. Miss me?"  
The were-feline roared and charged right in, letting her rage blind her completely. It was not going to be long before the others were going to find her.

Sister just laughed,

"Come on, Farrah, dear. You must be hanging around Barbie for too long. I told you; no internal anatomy. You can't hurt me with your claws."

"Maybe I can hurt you with my magic."

Sister turned and narrowly dodged an energy blast from Bast. The goddess of felines hissed,

"You are unnatural, creature. I will cut you open!"  
She unsheathed her scimitar and charged in. Sister stood up and narrowly dodged again. She smirked,

"Oooh, this is a challenge. I might actually enjoy this."  
Standing poised, the symbiote grinned,

"Now, how would I handle this?"

She then spied an escape pod. Using a tendril that sprouted, Sister punched the code and jumped in.

The escape pod flew to Earth.

Persiana and Bast snarled angrily. The goddess growled,

"That was the evil I sensed. I don't know how it made it out, but we will kill it."  
**On Earth… **

The escape pod crashed into the middle of a jungle, and Sister emerged. She looked around,

"Well, this is another fine mess I've gotten myself into."

The symbiote then heard something. She jumped into a tree and perched there, waiting.

Sister noticed several animals running in her direction, but her senses picked up something else. People were hunting them. Sister snarled; the instincts she duplicated were kicking in. Growling, she swung through the trees, going after the people.

The people were several poachers that were hunting big game. Sister counted six or seven of them, and one was standing on top of a lion they had just killed.

The lead poacher shook his head,

"Get offa him! The pelt's worth a lotta money."  
The poacher on the lion grinned,

"Hey, I shot it! It's mine!"  
One of other poachers groaned,

"Bob's either lucky or it was divine intervention. I'll take bets it's the latter."  
Sister snarled; she hated seeing the lion get taken down like that. The symbiote then shape-shifted into a black panther and came down, growling at the poachers.

A poacher grinned,

"Hey, a panther. I don't have one in my collection."

He pointed his rifle and fired. The shot echoed, and the bullet hit, but the panther just healed the wound and starting laughing,

"Fools! You will pay for what you have done!"

The panther shape-shifted back into Sister, and she pounced, roaring like an animal.

The poachers all tried to open fire, but their bullets were not hurting it, despite hitting the target. Sister effortlessly danced by, slicing and dicing each of the poachers, until one remained. This one swallowed nervously as he watched his friends get turned into mince meat. Sister giggled,

"Now, I suggest you start running. I wouldn't want you to think I was going to make it difficult for you."

She wrapped a leg around him, purring,

"Am I making it difficult for you, handsome?"

"Oh, great. The bitch is flirting."

Sister rotated her head around and looked at Bast and Persiana, along with Diana, Wonder Man, Blue Beetle, Flash, and Tigra. Persiana rolled her eyes,

"Seriously; if you were me, you know he'd be a waste of my time and talents."

Sister shrugged,

"You know, you're right."  
A tendril decapitated the poacher, without Sister turning around. However, she did turn the rest of her body to face the assembled heroes,

"Well, now. This is another fine mess I've gotten myself into."

The were-lioness looked around at the damage,

"Poachers?"

Sister stretched her arms high, stifling a yawn,

"They had it coming."  
Bast smirked,

"I agree."  
Simon looked at her,

"Whose side are you on?"

The goddess smiled,

"Easy, Simon..."

She unsheathed her scimitar and charged, shouting,

"The side I will cut her WITH THIS!"  
Sister rolled her eyes and caught the blade with one foot. To everyone's astonishment, the symbiote wrestled the weapon away while maintaining her ground. However, she tossed it away,

"Well, that's going to make walking difficult for a while, won't it?"

She could easily feel the sting, so part of her form created a cast, recovering her injury.

Persiana and Tigra charged in, acrobatically flipping around to try and confuse her. However, Sister shook her head,

"Seriously, do you think I'm that stupid?"

She ducked and grabbed Tigra's foot and threw her into Persiana. The two were-felines head's collided into each other. They had serious concussions.

Sister turned and looked at them,

"Come on, I'm you, remember, Farrah, baby? I know everything you're going to do. Attack plans, skills…"

Wonder Man grabbed her from behind and Sister instantly spun her head around,

"Hello, Simon. Like what you see?"

He threw her into a rock. Sister splattered, but immediately reformed, which Diana moved in and tried to restrain. However, being liquid had several glaring advantages, and she easily slipped out of the Amazon's grasp. Sister perched on a rock, grinning,

"You're wasting your time. Remember, I have no internal ana-."

Suddenly, Sister covered her ears in pain,

"What is that?"  
Blue Beetle had pulled out his BB gun,

"I added an ultrasonic transponder I was working on. Only those with acute hearing would be able to hear it. Thankfully, I gave ear plugs to the felines before we got down here."

Sister writhed in agony and tried to return to her ooze state, seeping into the ground.

Diana and Simon tried to pick up the ooze, but it had completely gone into the ground. Diana asked,

"Is she dead?"  
Persiana shook her head,

"No, I can still smell her. She's out there, somewhere."

She rubbed her head, still feeling the effects of her concussion. Blue Beetle said,

"We should get back to the Tower. At least we'll know what to do next is wait until she appears again."  
**Several miles away… **

The black ooze reformed in another section of the wild. Sister was gasping and she glared,

"They're good. They're really good. But, I do have my freedom now, and that's all that matters."  
She looked up and saw what appeared to be a mountain in the middle of the plains. However, the senses the symbiote had replicated indicated there was no mountain, but a city. As she turned into a panther to get closer, Sister could see it.

It was Gorilla City. Sister smirked to herself,

"Well, this is an interesting twist of fate. I wonder if Grodd still has that old earthquake machine of his…" 

Next Chapter:

Return of Mongol


	4. Chapter 4

**Strength of the Mind**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Bast, and Hecate._

Chapter 4: Past and Present Problems 

Diablos was back at the Titans East Mansion, running a training program to sharpen his skills. It was a program Farrah helped him write up, one where he could practice his sword skills. It came as a surprise to everyone that, being alive for that long and Lance had never picked up a sword. He explained that he had, but was just out of practice. The red-eyed hero unsheathed his weapon and, the environment changed to an ancient, possibly evil and definitely mysterious, Mayan temple. As several undead zombie warriors, clad in moss covered armor and weapons, approached, Diablos charged in, hacking and slashing his way to the goal.

He flipped over one zombie warrior, narrowly evading a swinging axe. Lance landed and spun around, creating a whirlwind with his sword. In seconds, the entire platoon of zombies was destroyed and the demonic-inspired hero grabbed the chalice.

The simulation ended and he smiled to himself,

_I really have to take to Farrah about increasing the difficulty of this thing. I'm either getting better, or she doesn't want me to get hurt. _

Suddenly, the room got visibly colder. It got so cold, Lance could see his breath. He used his powers and created a thermal pocket of hot air around him, to keep his body warm, but it was only a temporary relief. He braced for a fight; Diablos knew who was behind this.

A raven-haired woman with dark blood red eyes was playfully, yet evilly, smiling at him. She was wearing black jeans, a red strapless top, and a leather jacket. The jeans and the jacket had red lightning designs from the sleeves to the zippers, and the red strapless blouse had a terrifying demonic symbol on it. The red-eyed woman greeted him,

"Hello, Diablos."  
Diablos groaned,

"What do you want, Hecate?"

Hecate smiled,

"Want? What makes you think I want anything, dear brother?"

She raised her hand to brush her hair back, and Lance immediately noticed a silver bracelet, something similar to Diana's. Hecate grinned,

"Like them? I made them myself."

She tilted her head slightly,

"So, tell me; how are you doing? How is that human Farrah working out for you?"

Lance grabbed Hecate by the throat and shoved her into a wall,

"You stay the hell away from her, you here me!"  
Hecate shook her head,

"Hey, I'm not judging. Although, she does remind me of a certain someone you were with. Who was it? I remember now! Bast!"

Lance glared at her, his eyes glowing red,

"She's different from Bast, and you stay away from her."

Hecate grinned,

"Why? Which do you love more?"

Diablos said sternly,

"Farrah. Now, why are you here?"

The red-headed woman smiled darkly,

"Easy, soon, I will rise up and unify the world. I thought I'd just tell you that you will be the first to witness a new era. Mine."

She teleported away. Lance sighed angrily as the temperature in the room began to go back to normal.

**Meanwhile, somewhere in space… **

John Stewart, Sentry, Hawkgirl, and Steel were researching a new star formation aboard one of the Javelins. The armored scientist smirked,

"This is a sight you see once in a life time. Savor this moment, people."

The Thanagarian moaned,

"Come on; my race has documented hundreds of star formations. I mean, I could be getting into a fight somewhere."

Sentry asked,

"Is she always so violent?"  
John shook her head,

"I think she just wants to tag along with me."

Hawkgirl glared at the two men,

"I should just hit you two now, but I'm afraid I might damage the spacecraft."

As the star continued to form, the alarms blared. Steel looked at the computer,

"Something's coming this way. Really fast."

Just then, there was a massive force hitting the Javelin. The force was so strong; it knocked the Javelin onto a planet not too far away.

Once the spacecraft crashed, the four heroes stumbled out. Steel surveyed the damage,

"Whoa, this is bad."

"You have no idea, human."

John Stewart groaned,

"Oh, no."

He put up a green shield, but it was too late; a yellow blast launched him into the Javelin. Sentry, Hawkgirl, and Steel all braced for a fight.

The yellow energy blast belonged to Mongul. He had acquired a Yellow Power Ring, although no one knows how. (1)  
The ruler of Warworld smirked evilly,

"Now, how about that rematch?"

He lashed out with yellow energy, sending them all back.

Green Lantern recovered and, growling angrily, charged again, whipping up a construct of a green bullet train. Mongul smirked,

"Nice try."  
He created a yellow 'X' with his ring and the train shattered the moment it hit it. Then, Mongul used his ring and created a vise grip, crushing the Green Lantern.

John tried to squirm his way out, but the alien dictator shook his head,

"Not today, Lantern. Today, I achieve power."

He took the hand that the Green Lantern's ring on it and started breaking it. John screamed in agony, the pain becoming unbelievably intense.

Finally, the pain subsided and John noticed Mongul holding the emerald ring in his hands. The yellow-skinned dictator nodded approvingly,

"Very nice. It looked good on you, but it looks better…on ME!"  
He put it on his finger, right next to the yellow ring.

Mongul clenched his fists, laughing,

"Yes. The power. THE POWER!"

Sentry looked up,

"I'm guessing this is bad."

Hawkgirl charged in with her mace, the weapon electrifying. Mongul turned and blasted the avian heroine with a combined yellow and green light blast. The shock knocked her to the ground hard. Sentry barreled in, and that's when everything went from bad to worse. Mongul used his combined power rings and created a spinning saw. Sentry did his best to dodge it, but he did not see them return. They embedded deep into his back, and the Hero of a Million Suns cried out in pain.

The power mad despot smirked,

"Well, I've been looking to this rematch for quite some time. Pity you don't have the power I do."

With that, he created a sword and sliced Robert Reynolds' head off.

Steel tried to launch an attack, but got batted away at the last second.

Mongul shrugged,

"This is tiresome. I have to find the other five."

With that, he shot up into space.

Steel radioed in,

"Watchtower, this is Steel. We have an urgent situation. Mongul attacked us and he has taken GL's ring."

Next Chapter:

Who are the other five?

(1) Read Crimes of Passion


	5. Chapter 5

**Strength of the Mind**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Sister, and Lance/Diablos._

Chapter 5: Recouping 

Farrah and the others had arrived from their ordeal with Sister. The lioness was in a bad mood, evidently so when she walked by Superman, shoving him,

"Outta my way, Boy Scout. I'm not in the mood."

The Last Son of Krypton looked back. Diana said,

"It's not your fault. She has some issues to deal with."

Tigra rubbed her head,

"I'm just glad we got back. Sister was tough."

Clark looked at the furry feline,

"Sister?"

Blue Beetle explained,

"That's what this thing is calling itself. Sister perfectly duplicated all of Persiana's abilities, memories, mannerisms; right down to her DNA."

Wonder Man nodded,

"Just like Venom."  
Diana asked,

"Venom?"

"Symbiote villain in my world. Well, not anymore. He reformed and joined the Thunderbolts."

Ted shook his head,

"I hate to think on how many of those things are out there."

The others nodded.

Suddenly, a loud roar was heard. Someone had obviously got in Farrah's way. It was Guy Gardner,

"HELP! MY SPINE ISN'T MEANT TO BEND THIS WAY!"  
Tigra sighed,

"I'll go calm her down. I really wish Diablos was here."

She ran off as fast as she could, trying to calm her friend down.

J'onn J'onzz telepathically called,

_Superman, Diana, report to the infirmary. We have a critical situation. _

The two powerhouses did so.

**In the infirmary… **

John Stewart and the others were being bandaged up. The Green Lantern had lost the ring he was given by the Guardians, stolen by the mad despot Mongul. Now wielding both rings, Mongul was on a quest to find five more. What that meant was anyone's guess. Not only that, but Sentry was dead, killed by Mongul. It was horrifying to see the looks on everyone's faces, especially the former Avengers. It was hard on all of them, on top of what had been going on at the Watchtower.

John flexed his arm, despite it being in a cast,

"Ow!"  
Dr. Mid-nite and Dr. Blake had been tending the wounded. Dr. Mid-nite said,

"You're lucky Mongul didn't slice this arm off, John. With two power rings, he could have easily done it."

Dr. Blake nodded in agreement,

"All of you should be resting. Fighting someone like Mongul is dangerous in your condition."

Hawkgirl snarled,

"I'm not going to rest until that yellow-skinned creep gives John back his ring, even if I have to rip his shoulder out of his socket to do it."

Everyone looked at the avian heroine with surprise and fear. It was not wise to irritate Hawkgirl, or anything she cared about. The consequences were often deadly.

The remaining founders, with the exception of Batman, and the former Avengers came in. Wonder Man nodded,

"Hey, guys."  
Miss Marvel asked,

"What happened?"  
Steel explained,

"Mongul took John's ring and now, is building a collection. He killed Sentry and flew off. He says he needed five more."

J'onn shook his head,

"Five more? What do you mean?"

"I think I can explain what that means."  
Everyone turned and saw another Green Lantern. This one had brown hair and white temples. His name is Hal Jordan.

Hal explained,

"The Green Lantern Corps is one of seven corps that exist with these rings. There are other corps."  
Superman was stunned,

"You mean, there are more than just the Green Lantern Corps."  
The legendary GL continued,

"Yeah. At first, when Sinestro got a yellow power ring, it was because he went into the anti-matter universe. However, he forged hundreds of yellow rings, and they, in turn, go to beings capable of spreading great fear, like the green rings go to those that have great will."

Wonder Man nodded in understanding,

"So, these remaining rings are going based on different emotional states."

Hal nodded,

"Yeah. Red for anger, Orange for avarice, Blue for hope, Indigo for compassion, and violet for love. (1) I think the Star Sapphires are part of this too."

Simon raised his eyebrow,

"I thought that one we fought in Gorilla City was the only one." (2)

The former Air Force Pilot shrugged,

"Guess not."

Superman said,

"We have to find the other five rings before Mongul does."

Flash looked out the window,

"Uh, you might want to put that plan on hold for a while, Big Blue. Look."

The Justice League looked out the window and a black-haired woman in a pink Star Sapphire outfit was approaching. Star Sapphire shouted,

"HAL, MY BELOVED! COME BACK!"  
This one did not have an Australian accent. Hal swallowed,

"Oh, crap."

Carol asked,

"You know her?"  
Hal powered up,

"Yeah, that's Carol Ferris, my girlfriend. The Star Sapphire's got to her."

**Meanwhile, at Titans East Mansion… **

Diablos used his telepathy and detected everyone was still asleep. He knew they were not in danger, so he sneaked out of the house. He had become a little worried that Farrah had not come back yet, but he decided not to pry. The symbiote was a monster and, no matter how long it would take, his girlfriend would beat it. He figured some time on patrol near his 'home' would do some good.

When the red-eyed hero arrived in New Jersey, he saw a man getting thrown into a car. A woman's voice shouted,

"Men! You're all the same!"  
Lance instantly recognized the voice,

"Oh, great. It's Artemis, again."  
He was right; the red-headed Wonder Woman was seething with anger. She had her hand clenched into a fist, and she was boiling over. The Amazon roared,

"I am trying to educate you, but you don't seem to be learning the lesson!"  
She picked up a car and slammed it on top of him.

However, as the smoke cleared, Artemis saw a force field being generated. She looked around, scowling,

"What sorcery is-?"

She then noticed Diablos, and he was not happy. He lowered the force field and told the man,

"Get lost, now!"

The man ran for his life. Artemis gritted her teeth,

"Demon, you have no right to interfere in this."  
The demonic-inspired hero folded his arms,

"This is my territory, which I protect. It is YOU that is interfering."  
At this, the Amazon shouted with all her might,

"I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU! YOU MURDERED MY SISTERS, DESTROYED MY CITY, AND HAVE DIANA AND DONNA UNDER YOUR THUMB! NO MORE; TODAY I KILL YOU!"  
Suddenly, a red light appeared across the sky. A disembodied voice said,

"Artemis, we have sensed your anger and it is great. Accept this as a channel of that anger."

The light subsided and a red power ring appeared on the finger of the Amazon. Her costume changed; instead of the usual gold and red and blue, it was all red, even her bracelets. A red-eye mask appeared on Artemis' face and she roared like an animal. She spewed something from her mouth, which cut through the pavement like a hot knife through butter. Lance noticed the look in the Amazon's eyes; the look of psychotic rage. He shook his head,

"I think I'm in over my head now."

Next Chapter:

Diablos vs. Artemis, and the League vs. Star Sapphire

(1) This is what Geoff Johns wrote during the Sinestro Wars arc of Green Lantern (BEST GREEN LANTERN STORY EVER!)

(2) This happened in Justice League Persiana


	6. Chapter 6

**Strength of the Mind**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Bast. _

Chapter 6: Color Coordinated Attack! 

**In New Jersey… **

Diablos dodged a red light blast from an irate Artemis, now wearing a red lantern ring. The red-eyed hero had no idea what was going on, but he knew he was going to be in for a fight. He already saw the red-headed Wonder Woman was glowing with a red auar around her. She spewed a red napalm-like substance at him. The demonic-inspired hero dodged it and unsheathed his sword, saying,

"Artemis, listen to me. That ring is affecting your mind. You have to get rid of it!"

The Amazon warrior was not listening, her fury blinding her completely. She began spewing more of that red napalm all over the red-eyed hero. Diablos got some distance and tried to use telepathy, but there was so much anger and hate, he could not cut through. He then telepathically called the League and Titans East,

_I need back up! Artemis is out of control with a red power ring! _

**Aboard the Watchtower… **

The Justice League was having its own problems; Carol Ferris, Hal's girlfriend, had become the latest Star Sapphire and was pursuing Hal Jordan, the legendary Green Lantern. She banged on the window, drooling,

"LET ME IN! I WANNA SEE MY BOYFRIEND!"  
Farrah looked at Miss Marvel,

"I didn't think it was possible, but Sapphire over there is more trashy than you, Barbie."

Carol Danvers snarled back,

"I will kill you when this is over."  
The lioness smirked,

"Promises, promises."

Wonder Man asked,

"Can she get in?"

Gypsy, Vixen, and Zatanna all looked at the Star Sapphire. All of them were scowling. Gypsy muttered,

"Look at her, trying to take my man away."  
The African American model hissed,

"Your man? Sweetie, he loves ME!"  
Zatanna shook her head,

"You're both wrong, Simon wants ME!"  
A cat-fight broke out between the three of them. Bast purred,

"Too bad none of them have slept with you, Wonder Man."

Flash drooled at the cat-fight, much to the chagrin of everyone else.

Just then, J'onn got a telepathic message,

"Diablos is in trouble. Artemis has come in contact with a red power ring."  
Hal rolled his eyes,

"Rage, terrific. Just what we need now. This can't get any worse."

A flash of violet light appeared behind them, and soon, the Justice League turned and saw Gypsy, Zatanna, and Vixen all wearing Star Sapphire costumes. Superman readied a battle stance,

"You were saying."

Bast said,

"I shall go assist Diablos."  
Persiana piped up,

"I'm going too."  
Diana shook her head,

"We will need you for this fight."

The goddess of felines smirked,

"Don't worry. I can help him."  
With that, she teleported away.

Miss Marvel asked,

"So, what do we do now?"

**Back in New Jersey… **

Several of Titans East had received the telepathic message. Miss Martian, Hawkeye, and Superboy were on the scene in minutes. The son of the emerald archer asked,

"What happened to Artemis?"

Diablos flipped onto a car, explaining,

"I was trying to stop her from beating someone to death and then this ring came out of nowhere and, now, she's twice as strong."

He dodged the napalm and Hawkeye countered with a flash bang arrow. The result was a blind Artemis screeching, which only lead to more animal-like roaring. Diablos shook his head,

"And I thought Farrah could roar."

The Kryptonian hero rocketed at full speed and landed a hard punch. The impact caused the aura to flicker and Connor moved in to remove the ring. However, Artemis regained her eye-sight at the last second and spewed the napalm from her mouth, showering the hero. Superboy screamed in pain, as the liquid blistered his skin. Miss Martian screamed,

"Superboy!"

Hawkeye launched another flash bang, which as long enough for Diablos to grab her and get her to cover. Connor hissed,

"Ow, that stuff hurts me."

Hawke surmised,

"I think we ticked her off even more now."

Diablos rolled his eyes,

"Ya think?"

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY CHAMPION!"  
Everyone looked up and saw Bast, taking the form of a were-lioness, her scimitar poised to strike. The red lantern Amazon snarled, and charged, attempting to spray her with napalm.

Bast deflected off the scimitar and smirked,

"I'm going to enjoy cleaving you into tiny, bite-sized pieces, Amazon."

She sliced through the energy beams and tried to slice the armor open. Artemis blocked and the two began fencing with each other, parrying and striking with uncanny speed and precision.

Diablos smirked to himself,

_Just like the old days. _

Miss Martian asked,

"Should we help her?"

The red-eyed hero nodded,

"Bast has this one, but we'll stay here until this fight is over."  
The feline warrior flipped away, grinning,

"Does this not bring back memories, Diablos?"

The other members of Titans East looked at the demonic hero. He looked back,

"Don't ask."

"Do not fret, friends…"

A figure in shining blue light floated near them. He said,

"All will be well."

**Back Aboard the Watchtower… **

The Star Sapphire versions of Vixen, Gypsy, and Zatanna were busy chasing Wonder Man all over the Watchtower. The ionic Avenger was running for his life, shouting,

"THESE LADIES ARE INSANE! HELP!"  
Hal Jordan was right behind him,

"IF YOU THINK THIS IS BAD, TRY DATING CAROL! THAT WOMAN IS FRISKY!"  
The Carol Ferris Star Sapphire was calling out,

"BELOVED HAL, LOVE ME!"  
The other members of the Justice League blinked in confusion. Diana asked,

"What are we going to do?"  
Flash shrugged,

"They can always wear out."

Everyone looked at the Fastest Man Alive, as if he lost his mind. Farrah rolled her eyes,

"I'll get the tranquilizers."

Next Chapter:

More Rings in this Circus


	7. Chapter 7

**Strength of the Mind**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Bast._

Chapter 7: Aftermath of the Attack

Gypsy, Zatanna, Carol Ferris, and Vixen were all lying in the infirmary aboard the Watchtower. All of them had the Star Sapphire rings taken off of them, and all had silly grins on their faces. Persiana smirked,

"Not too shabby, if I do say so myself."

Superman shook his head,

"Did you really have to use that many shots?"

The lioness laughed,

"Come on, Big Blue. I got this stuff from Batman."

She looked around,

"Speaking of which, where is he anyway?"

"Right behind you, Persiana."

The Dark Knight indeed was behind them, and he witnessed everything,

"Hal talked to me about the rings, and I was doing some investigating when I heard in the Watchtower and-."

Diana's voice echoed,

"By Hera, what happened?"

The three heroes walked out and were stunned at the sight.

Bast was carrying an inebriated Artemis down the halls of the Tower. The red-headed Wonder Woman slurred her speech as she said,

"You-you-foolish…m-m-men…I-I-I-I-I am an Am-am-am-zon-zon…a woman warrior!"

Miss Marvel was surprised,

"What did you do to her?"

Bast unceremoniously dropped Artemis on the floor,

"She's lucky Diablos does not want her harmed. If it were up to me, I would have already sliced her head off and feed her worthless carcass to the lionesses."

Farrah came in close to examine Artemis, but, there was an unusually strong scent. She covered her mouth,

"Lance, how much did you give her? She smells like a brewery."

The red-eyed hero answered,

"I only changed a small portion of her blood into whiskey."

Superman said,

"Whiskey?"  
The demonic hero shrugged,

"What? It was the only thing I could think of. My telepathy couldn't subdue her. Besides, I like seeing her like this."

Artemis rubbed the back of her head, giggling,

"Tee-hee. I f-f-ell."

She then looked at Persiana, a silly grin on the warrior's face,

"Pret-t-t-ty kitty."

Diana folded her arms,

"Has she been violated?"

Lance looked at the exiled Amazon,

"Diana, I would never dream of taking advantage of a woman's drunken, vulnerable state."

Farrah raised an eyebrow,

"We are talking about Artemis, right?"

Artemis got up and said,

"For the glory of the Amazon nation!"  
She took two steps before tripping. The lioness smirked,

"I SO have to get my camera."

Batman looked at Diablos,

"You said she had a red ring. Where is it?"

The red-eyed hero pulled out a case,

"It's in this. After what happened, I encased it in solid titanium. No telling what it could do in the wrong hands."

He handed it to the Dark Knight, adding,

"For what it's worth, I have a feeling there's more than one of those red rings running around somewhere."

Hal walked in,

"Did you get the ring?"

Batman nodded,

"The Red Lantern Ring is here. I'm holding on to it until we can figure something out."

Superman asked,

"Is there any way to track the other rings?"

The legendary Green Lantern shook his head,

"No. We'll just have to wait until something comes up."

"Perhaps, I can be of some assistance."

A white, pale looking alien, dressed in a similar Green Lantern outfit, only this one was blue, smiled,

"Hello, my name is Saint Walker, and I have come to help."

Lance explained,

"Yeah, this was the guy that helped us out. He used his blue ring and stopped Artemis' rampage."  
He scratched his head,

"I still don't know how he did it, though."

Saint Walker said,

"The blue light cools the hot rage of red."

Hal clutched his hand,

"My ring…"

Saint Walker shook his head,

"Do not fret, Hal. Blue also charges green energy and I have access to more of the blue ring's powers."

Batman said,

"Maybe you should explain this power of yours to us as well."

**Meanwhile…**

John Stewart was in the infirmary, still having his hand tended to. Dr. Mid-nite had gone to get the X-rays from the damaged appendage. He shook his head,

"It's gone. My ring is gone."

Hawkgirl walked in,

"John? Can I talk to you?"

The Green Lantern nodded. Shayera sat next to him, bringing her wing around his back,

"John, you're upset about losing the ring. I know how much being a Green Lantern means to you."

The former Marine sighed,

"I just let the fear get to me. Mongol took something that meant so much to me. I mean, I'm a founding member of this team, the League."

Shayera nodded,

"I am too, John. It's just…well…Mongol did take your ring, but that wasn't what meant so much to you."

She came closer,

"It's me, John. The woman that loves you."

She kissed him on the lips. The former Green Lantern closed his eyes,

"Shayera…"

The Thanagarian warrior shook her head,

"Don't speak. Just listen."

She continued,

"I was scared of what might happen to you, because, now, more than ever, I need you, John. I need you to be there for us."

John opened his eyes,

"Shayera, I'll always be there in this relationship. I love you, you know that."

The avian heroine shook her head,

"I know you will, but there's something I have to tell you."

She sighed, her lips nervously trembling as she spoke,

"I'm pregnant, John."

**Meanwhile, in outer space… **

They say in space, no one can hear you scream.

Those words never sang truer to Henry Henshaw, a scientist who was trying to create an experiment with the Kryptonian technology of Superman's ship to build a successful inter-stellar cruiser without the constant need for Superman or the Justice League. He wanted human beings to travel on their own; and set out to create such a way. However, things went horribly wrong as the ship Henshaw was in warped into deep space and near a newly forming star. The light from the star pierced through the scientist's body, and, enveloped him in an energy cocoon. The ship exploded, but Henshaw burst through the cocoon. He opened his eyes and roared at the top of his lungs,

"SUPERMAN, YOU DID THIS TO ME!"

Next Chapter:

Disgraced


	8. Chapter 8

**Strength of the Mind**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Bast. _

Chapter 8: Disgraced! 

Artemis was in the infirmary. Having finally sobered up, she closed her eyes, yelling,

"These lights are too bright!"  
She threw a pillow over her head to try and block the light out.

Farrah paraded in, banging a metal tray. She said in an unusually cheery voice,

"Good morning, Artemis. Time to rise and shine! It's a brand new day. I brought you breakfast!"  
The were-lioness walked over and pulled the sheets,

"Come on, Artemis. You don't want to miss another day in Man's World, do you?"

The red-headed Amazon snarled,

"When I find your man, I will rip him apart."

Diana walked in with a camera, asking,

"Farrah, are you quite through torturing her?"

Artemis covered her ears, moaning,

"You are talking too loud. Leave me be!"  
She tried to escape, but the former Avenger was having too much fun,

"Ok, Di. We need to give this lady a sponge bath!"  
Artemis instantly was horrified,

"No, I don't know what that is, but I don't want it!"  
The Amazon then covered her mouth and bolted for the bathroom.

Diana asked,

"What do you intend to do with this video?"

Persiana grinned,

"Ever see that show where people get hurt doing stupid stuff on camera, or they get hurt for the sake of entertainment?"

Diana nodded,

"Yes, Flash watches it all the time, but I don't see how-."

She then covered her mouth in realization,

"Oh, gods."

Farrah laughed maniacally and snatched the camera,

"This could not get any funnier."

Just then, the lioness' ears perked. She sniffed the scent and instantly snarled,

"She's here."

Diana shook her head,

"Who, Farrah?"

"Your mother; and she brought some of her friends."

It was well established the lioness had a dislike for Diana's mother and how she was responsible for taking Diana's title of Wonder Woman. (1) However, Farrah bit it down and went outside to see what was going on.

Hyppolyta, a blonde haired woman, was walking with her honor guard; Theymisicria's most elite troops. As the queen walked by, many wondered why she had arrived.

It was not until Persiana had stepped in front of them that things turned interesting. The were-lioness growled,

"What are you doing here?"  
The honor guard was already on the defense, taking up positions around their queen. However, Hyppolyta shook her head,

"It is all right. She will not harm me."

Farrah reared her claws,

"Wanna bet? After what you did to my friend Diana, I should be finding new uses for your internal anatomy."

Tigra came up to her,

"Little sis, calm down. You don't even know why they're here."  
Farrah did not take her eyes off of the queen. She growled, causing the honor guard to brace for an attack. Hyppolyta, however, was not shaken, nor did she look intimidated.

Diana came up,

"Mother, what are you doing here?"

Hyppolyta said,

"I have come to speak to you about another matter that was brought to my attention. It concerns you and Artemis."

At this, the exiled Amazon's heart stopped.

Farrah folded her arms, still wary,

"You don't smell like you're lying, but, I want to hear what this…matter is."

Hyppolyta turned to the were-feline,

"It is Amazon business. You would not-."  
Persiana interrupted her,

"It IS my business when it concerns the League and my friends. If you wanna say something to her, you say it in front of me, too."

Greer shook her head; Persiana was not going to budge. The tigress thought to herself,

_Little sis, why do you get yourself into these messes? _

Hyppolyta sighed and smirked,

"Donna told me how protective you are of your friends. In a way, it is an admirable, if bothersome, trait."

She looked to her honor guard,

"You will wait outside the room until our business is concluded."  
The honor guards nodded and Diana, Persiana, and Hyppolyta walked to the infirmary bed Artemis was staying in.

Wonder Man and Thor were walking by, catching up on old times when they noticed the guards. The god of thunder asked,

"Who are these maidens?"

The ionic Avenger tapped his chin in thought,

"I remember. Diana told me her mother had an honor guard she kept with her."

The four Amazon guards looked at the two men. All of them had predatory glints in their eyes…

**In the infirmary… **

Artemis was just coming out of the bathroom, holding her stomach. She snarled,

"Just what did that demon poison me with?"

"About twelve ounces of hard liquor."

Farrah had perched on the bed, smiling,

"Be grateful you're immortal. Any more of the stuff, and you'd be in a coma."

Hyppolyta asked,

"Artemis, are you feeling better?"

The red-headed bow user bowed respectfully,

"Apologizes, Your Highness. That demon did this to me."

The queen said,

"You were sedated because of your actions with a…"

She looked to Diana and Persiana,

"As I understand it, it was a RED ring, correct?"

Persiana nodded,

"Yep."

Hyppolyta turned back,

"Yes, a red ring. You attacked those that were your allies. Not only that, but you also have sided with certain…groups, that wished to bring harm to Man's World, and you have an unhealthy obsession with vanquishing a certain red-eyed man."

Artemis shouted,

"THAT DEMON MURDERED MY TRIBE! HE HAS TO ANSWER FOR WHAT HE DID!"  
She breathed deeply and angrily. The Amazon was irate no one was listening to her.

Hyppolyta said,

"Artemis, because of your actions, I am forced to strip you of your title as Wonder Woman."

This shocked the red-head. Artemis replied aghast,

"What? But I, I have been working to educate Man's World in the ways of the Amazons!"  
Hyppolyta shook her head,

"I am sorry, but I cannot justify your actions. Plus, many on the island have seen your conflict with Diana's friends and feel better if Diana were Wonder Woman again."  
The raven-haired Amazon was surprised,

"Mother, are you serious?"  
Persiana scratched her head,

"Wait, how do you know what's been going on?"

Hyppolyta looked at the were-lioness,

"The oracle has shown me much. As an added bonus, Donna has told me stories about you and your allies."

Farrah smirked,

"Wow, I had no idea I was a major celebrity on Theymisciria. I'll have to go there and sign autographs."  
Artemis knelt to the floor, disgraced. She had never been so defeated; or ashamed of herself as she did now. She wished she had never brought this upon herself.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and two male voices shouted,

"HELP! THEY'RE AFTER US!"  
Four girlish screams echoed throughout the tower. Persiana looked out and saw Thor and Wonder Man being chased by the Amazon royal guard. The lioness closed the door,

"You're not gonna believe what I just saw."

Diana asked,

"What?"

"The honor guard just found true love."

Hyppolyta shook her head,

"I ordered them to wait-."  
She opened the door and was stunned. The four honor guards were playing tug-of-war with Simon and Thor. The queen asked,

"Is it always this insane with those two men?"  
Diana smiled,

"You get used to it."

Next Chapter:

Mystery to the Past

(1) See Crimes of Passion


	9. Chapter 9

**Strength of the Mind**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Hecate, and Bast. _

Chapter 9: Hostile Takeover Part 1 

**In Kasnia…(**1)

Audrey, princess of the nation of Kasnia, sat on her throne in a castle that the royal family has ruled from for centuries. Audrey had fought off the likes of Vandal Savage, an immortal despot who tried to take the throne by marriage and deception. The princess herself was very good friends with Wonder Woman, and the Amazon thought of this Kasnian princess as her sister.

That all changes tonight as a black haired woman with red eyes snuck past the guards…

Audrey was hosting a royal function at the castle for several esteemed leaders of other countries. Two days after Diana had received her mantle back as Wonder Woman, the raven-haired princess was one of the guests invited. She had decided to dress formally, and brought along Bruce Wayne. The disguised Dark Knight seemed to be enjoying Diana's company. Of course, since Persiana had joined the League, and continuously pestered him about how badly he wants Diana, Bruce decided it was better to play along. He knew better than to irritate a woman who could track you down to the ends of the Earth.

Audrey smiled when she saw her friend. She approached her,

"Wonder Woman, it is so good of you to come."

Diana smiled back,

"I am honored I could attend, your highness."

The princess rolled her eyes and smiled,

"Always so formal? We are good friends. You can call me Audrey, if you want."

Bruce coughed, as if to stifle a chuckle. Diana turned, narrowing her eyes. She then smirked,

"I'm sure you have met Bruce Wayne."  
The billionaire swallowed at that. Diana had gotten her revenge. Audrey smiled dreamily and purred,

"Wonder Woman, where do you find all the handsome men? Is it some sort of Amazon mind trick?"

Diana laughed, while Bruce just stood there, trying not to show any emotion, but he was terrified deep down of the Amazon. Persiana had taught her to be evil.

Suddenly, there was a commotion behind the closed doors. Someone said,

"Miss, you cannot-."

Two gun shots rang out. The guests inside were taking cover underneath the tables. Wonder Woman, still in her elegant black gown, got in front of Batman to protect him.

The doors swung open and one of the guards that was stationed outside was thrown all the way to the other end of the room.

A young woman with blood red eyes, a short black jacket, a red tank top that exposed her belly button and stomach region, long, tight black jeans, and black high heeled boots with red laces walked in, carrying a red handgun in one hand and a black hand gun in the other. She said,

"Seriously, is this any way to treat would-be deities? I mean, I try to be civil, but they were shooting at me. OK, I admit, I did try to shoot them first, but…what was I talking about again?"

The Kasnian princess scowled,

"How dare you attack my castle and my guests! Who gave you the right-?"

Hecate rolled her eyes and blasted the princess, in front of stunned party guests. The red-eyed woman shook her head,

"Seriously, I was trying to remember something. Do you have any idea how hard it is to remember something when someone else is talking with a voice like a harpy?"  
Diana clenched her fists,

"That was my friend, monster!"  
She charged in, but was thoroughly kicked in the jaw by one of the high heels. The Amazon stumbled back, then felt a sharp pain in her chest. Hecate had gotten a shot off, and the pistol wielding mistress grinned evilly,

"Not so wondrous now, are you, Wonder Woman?"  
She blasted more shots, felling the Amazon in an instant.

Bruce was stunned; Diana had been shot, and she had not even used her bracelets to defend herself. The Dark Knight thought out loud,

_Justice League, I need back up. _

One of the handguns said,

"Ladies and gentlemen, I do apologize for Hecate's behavior. She takes after Dawn too much."

The other handgun, Dawn, shouted,

"Come on, Dusk. Did you see the look on that guard's face? PRICELESS!"  
Hecate rolled her eyes,

"Shut up, you two. We have a job to do."

One of the guests asked,

"Why are you here, attacking us?"

The dark-haired woman skipped up to the throne and sat down, keeping Dawn drawn,

"Look, believe it or not, I'm one of the heroes, like the Justice League. I mean, I'm here to promote world peace and harmony like they do."

Another guest admonished her,

"Witch! You have assassinated the leader of Kasnia! How does that promote peace and harmony?"

Hecate smirked, shaking her head,

"Honeybunch; let me tell ya somethin'; you humans that run this planet are idiots. The leaders are money grubbers and war mongers. Religion is a tool the strong use to manipulate the weak, and the weak believe that, by dying for a cause, makes them justified in what they do. Me, well, I'm here to balance things out, and unite the planet, under MY rule, of course."

A third guest shook his head,

"You are not better than the people you condemn."

Hecate laughed at that,

"I'd expect that from a lowly human like you. You obviously don't know what to do for your species to help it along. That's where I come in."

She then looked at the Amazon,

"Ah, I see Theymisciria's champion decided to wake up."  
She narrowed her eyes,

"I recognize you from somewhere, but I can't remember."

Diana clenched her fists,

"You are not leaving here until you answer for what you have done."

The red-eyed woman slapped her forehead,

"Now I remember! Wasn't your mother Hercules' bitch?"  
At this, Wonder Woman became enraged. She roared,

"DIE!"  
Hecate slid Dawn back into his holster, much to his protest,

"C'mon, I just wanna shoot her at least once!"  
At the last possible moment, Hecate jumped up and disappeared. The furious Amazon smashed the throne to bits and began shouting in rage. Bruce decided to calm her down,

"Wonder Woman, you need-."

Diana turned and batted him hard into a table. The other guests ran off, panicking at the sight of the enraged female warrior.

Superman and J'onn J'onzz had arrived. The Martian telepath tried to calm Diana down,

"Wonder Woman, you're emotions are being manipulated."

The Amazon fell to her knees, panting. She shook her head, horrified,

"I have never been so angry in my life. I could have killed someone."

Bruce came near to her,

"I'm glad you didn't."

"All right, now this is uncalled for!"  
Reappearing again was Hecate. She folded her arms,

"I'm running Kasnia now, and the first order of business is you four are trespassing. Leave!"  
Diana shouted,

"YOU MURDERED THE RIGHTFUL LEADER OF THIS-!"

There were the sounds of guns clicking from all sides. The four League members turned and saw themselves surrounded by Kasnian army personnel. Hecate smirked,

"Punctual, as always, Captain."

The captain saluted Hecate and nodded,

"What shall we do with them, your highness?"

The four of them were stunned. J'onn tried to read their minds,

"I cannot sense anything from them."

Superman said,

"Listen, you're being brainwashed by-."

Hecate rolled her eyes,

"Forget it, Superman. I've crushed the humans' will to fight, and the military is completely loyal to me. So, unless you want to destroy all these innocent people, you'll leave now."

Bruce whispered to the leader of the Justice League,

"Get out of here."

The Man of Steel sighed,

"We'll leave, but we'll be back."

The four teleported to safety up in the Watchtower. Hecate said,

"Boys, get the army rolling. Also, prepare the broadcast. I've got a statement to make."

She chuckled to herself,

_Diablos, I told you I would make my move soon, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. _

Next Chapter:  
Hecate's Speech, and more world conquering!

(1) Kasnia is a fictional place used on the Justice League Show. It was most notable for having Vandal Savage appear a second time. I don't remember the episode name off-hand, but it was in the second volume on the DVD set.


	10. Chapter 10

**Strength of the Mind**

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Hecate, and Bast. _

Chapter 10: Hostile Takeover Part 2 

"I've never seen anything like this before."

Superman had called the Big Seven and Persiana into a meeting. The lioness shook her head,

"It doesn't make any sense. When I examined Diana, there weren't any entrance or exit wounds. In fact, I didn't even smell gunpowder."

Flash scratched his head,

"Do you think it's some sort of weird magic thing?"  
Wonder Woman nodded,

"Yes. I know I was hit, but I don't remember bleeding. I know I tasted blood. I also knew she fired, but I couldn't deflect the bullets."

Batman surmised,

"It was because there were never any bullets being fired from those guns."

Everyone turned to the Dark Knight. He continued,

"There's no other explanation; those guns are magic in nature."

Shayera rolled her eyes,

"Great, another lunatic with a gun."

The Martian Manhunter said,

"She said she was like us, that she wanted to unite the world."

Farrah folded her arms, growling with a trace of anger in her voice,

"The last time I heard that, Captain America had a bullet put through his chest. No thank you, I've had enough douses of lead to last a lifetime."

Diana nodded, equally angry,

"This woman Hecate murdered a very good friend of mine and took over her country. I won't stand for it."

The Fastest Man Alive shook his head,

"As much as I want to take her down, if she's using magic, we're gonna need magic of our own."

Batman smirked,

"Don't worry; I have some people that can help."

The other members of the Big Seven looked at the Dark Knight with very frightening looks. Persiana grinned,

"Bats is getting a sense of humor. My work here is done."

Shayera pointed a finger at the feline heroine and, in a horrified voice, shouted,

"MONSTER!"  
The furry lioness purred,

"I love you too, Shayera."

**In another part of the Watchtower… **

Bast was staring out at the world. It was not uncommon for felines to curl up to windows and look down at their environment, but that was not the reason. The goddess of felines had sensed a malevolent presence on the Earth below. It was a familiar evil, one she and Diablos thought vanquished forever.

Hecate.

Bast shook her head,

"Diablos, I am glad you are not here. If you found out-."

"Found out what?"  
The scimitar user turned, surprised,

"Simon, I did not see you there."

Wonder Man shook his head,

"You've been preoccupied since you joined up. Is something wrong?"

Bast sighed,

"It is…complicated. I would rather not go into it."

**On the Bridge… **

Mr. Terrific was monitoring the communications coming in from Kasnia. Since Hecate took over, Batman had the super-intelligent hero check on any transmissions coming or going from the small nation.

And something was being broadcasted…

The red-eyed young woman was sitting on a throne, a black hand gun in her hands. She said,

"All right, you moronic humans, listen up! I am so sick of each one of your countries at war with somebody else over some stupid detail!"

The sound of lightning crackled, and Hecate looked sternly into the camera,

"As of right now, I run things. You WILL do what I want, when I want, how I want. The first order of business is you abolish all religion and all government, and play by the rules I set."

The would-be conqueror explained,

"Two days ago, I approached the people of a small country called Khandaq. (1) I told them to unite and overthrow their leader Black Adam. He was a corrupting influence, oppressing the humans he was supposed to take care of. Guess what happened; they said I was inciting an insurrection. Me, a superior form of life, who knew what was good for them, was thrown out. I told them they wouldn't live long enough to regret it…"

Hecate pulled out a remote and pressed a button.

Mr. Terrific was running the scans when his eyes widened,

"Oh dear God."

He sounded the alarm.

The Big Seven and Persiana all arrived on the Bridge as soon as they got the message. J'onn asked,

"What is happening?"

Farrah studied the computer readings and gasped,

"This is bad."

Diana looked at the furry heroine,

"What is happening?"

Mr. Terrific said,

"Hecate just detonated a nuclear bomb."

Sure enough, if one was looking out a window, one could see a cloud rise into the atmosphere. The people on the ground that were still alive could see a big mushroom cloud erupt.

There was a stunned silence that seemed to span eternity. It was finally broken when Hecate looked back on the monitor. She looked to be enjoying herself,

"Oh, joy! Khandaq is a wasteland now. Well, it always was, but now, more so than ever!"  
Flash covered his mouth and ran out of the room to throw up. Superman ordered,

"Cut into the transmission! I want to talk to her!"

The computer-minded hero did so.

On the screen Hecate looked to be getting a call,

"Oh, look, a request."  
She picked up,

"Hello, Kasnia Central, the home of the unifier Hecate. What are you feeling this evening?"  
Superman's voice erupted,

"YOU MURDERED INNOCENT PEOPLE!"  
The would be goddess pulled the phone from her ear and smiled,

"Is this Superman? Aw, I'm actually touched that you called. I'm doing what you would want to do; unite the planet."

She tapped her chin in thought,

"Of course, my methods are a BIT more bloody, but you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs, right?"

She put the phone down and readdressed her audience,

"If I am not a ruler in twenty-four hours, I will set off another nuclear bomb. Only, this time, it will be in a more…crowded area. Toddles!"  
The transmission was cut off.

The League was infuriated to say the least. The Man of Steel clenched his fist,

"She's got to be stopped."

Farrah nodded,

"I'll get Doc Fate and Zatanna."

Next Chapter:

Hecate is not who she appears to be. Plus, an ally, or enemy, wants Hecate dead.

(1) Khandaq is another fictional country in the DC Universe. It is often depicted as either as a North African or Middle Eastern country (I forget which). In the comic series 52, Black Adam and the Black Marvel Family rule this country.


	11. Chapter 11

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Hecate, and Bast. _

Chapter 11: Hostile Takeover Part 3 

**At the Kasnian border… **

Three guards, loyal to the general, who was loyal to Hecate, were lazily watching their post. Guard 1 was smoking a cigarette, staring out at the mountains,

"Why does that woman have us stand guard here? No one would be stupid enough to go through the mountains. The enemy would go take the highway."

Guard 2 rolled his eyes,

"Idiot, you just want to go to the highway to check out the women."

Guard 3 shook his head,

"All right, you two. Just keep to your dut-."

Unfortunately, he did not get a chance to finish his sentence as someone had ripped his head off. The two other guards, but the mysterious figure snapped their spines in two. This figure wore all black and had a yellow lightning bolt down his chest. He growled to himself,

"Hecate."

Using super speed, he flew off.

**In the Kasnian palace… **

Hecate had configured a world map into a dart board, and she was trying to accurately aim her dart at a country. She said to herself,

"Let's see. Do I want to hit Paris, Rome, Athens, or Berlin? Do I even want to hit Europe? Asia isn't any better, and forget about Africa and South America. North America has some interesting targets. How about Los Angeles, Washington DC, Seattle, Boston…"  
She said out loud,

"Boston? Seriously, who would want to blow up that place? I mean, there's nothing there."

Just then, she heard the sounds of gunfire, and several of her troops being attacked. She put her darts down and rolled her eyes,

"Problems with the neighbors again. I swear, if it isn't the stereo that's too loud, it's the gun fighting."

She opened the door and ordered,

"Keep it down! I'm tryin' to unite the world over-."

She then saw Dr. Fate, Zatanna, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Persiana had cleaned house with the guards. The Amazon princess noticed Hecate and bolted for her. The red-eyed teen had barely enough time to dodge as she was brought to the throne room of her palace. The gun wielder slipped out and drew her weapons,

"Hey, Wonder Woman. You're back for more."

She then noticed the other heroes had blocked her way out. Hecate smirked and holstered her weapons, tutting,

"You know, this does constitute an act of war. You are violating the sovereignty of my country."

Diana snarled,

"You murdered the rightful ruler of Kasnia! You will answer for what you have done!"  
Persiana's ears perked at that moment. She said,

"Uh, guys. I think we might have a problem. Someone's coming."

The castle wall came down, showering the room with dust and debris. The same figure that had rushed across the border, killing three guards, stood with his arms folded, hovering in the air. He glowered down at Hecate,

"Witch, you will pay for destroying my country!"

Zatanna swallowed nervously,

"Oh, crap. It's Black Adam."  
Persiana shook her head,

"Refresh my memory."

Dr. Fate explained,

"Black Adam has the same powers as Captain Marvel, given to him by the wizard Shazam. However, where as Marvel has used his powers for good, Adam has discovered some…less honorable…uses for his abilities."

The Black Marvel looked at the artifact using magician,

"I will deal with you in a moment. Right now, my business is with this murderess."

Diana said,

"After me. She murdered a friend of mine."  
Black Adam scowled,

"You will wait your turn, female. It is your place to."

Farrah winced,

"That was not the smartest thing to say."

Wonder Woman clenched her fists in rage. She did not know who to hit first; Hecate for murdering her friend or Black Adam for being a chauvinistic pig. She decided to go with the latter. Barreling in, she slammed a hard right cross into Black Adam's face. The magically powered power house wiped some blood off his mouth and snarled,

"You will pay for this, Amazon. I would not have had quarrel with you, but you have just signed your death warrant."

The two powerhouses started duking it out.

Hecate smirked,

"Now would be a good time to run."

She bolted for a secret passage out of the room.

Batman noticed what was going on and said,

"Stop those two from killing each other. I'm going after Hecate."

He disappeared through the same secret passage. Persiana said,

"I'll go help Batman. You two go break them up!"

She grabbed a grenade and threw it at the wall. When it blew up, she bolted for the passage.  
The top hat magic user looked to the artifact wearer,

"Got any bright ideas?"

Dr. Fate nodded,

"Yes, one. We incapacitate him for the time being."

He began chanting a spell, his eyes glowing in his helmet and his hands glowing with some mysterious light. He then shouted,

"STOP, IN THE NAME OF FATE!"  
Instantly, Black Adam and Wonder Woman were frozen solid, paralyzed. Zatanna then said,

"ANAID, EVOM!" (1)

In a moment, Diana was able to move again. She smirked,

"Thanks, that makes this easier."

She then unloaded punches and kicks in speeds that would make Flash jealous. Zatanna asked,

"Weren't we supposed to break them up?"

Dr. Fate shrugged,

"Hey, I did my job. It's not our fault Wonder Woman wants to use Adam as a punching bag."  
The spell mistress nodded,

"Right. Popcorn?"

She conjured up a bag and the two began eating, watching the raven-haired warrior do things to Black Adam that bordered on cruel and unusual.

**Meanwhile… **

Inside the dark passage, Hecate was bolting for her life. She looked back and could see the Dark Knight was not that far behind her. The red-eyed villainess shook her head, thinking,

_No, I won't let them catch me. _

She emerged in a large cavernous room with numerous computer equipment. The grotto itself looked to have been naturally carved from millions of years of the planet's existence.

Hecate overturned a table and waited, pointing her two fire arms at the entrance.

What she failed to realize was that Persiana was with Batman, and the two took cover as Hecate opened fire. Both of them were behind a desk. The lioness said,

"Those guns are real, Batman. I can smell the gunpowder."

The detective nodded,

"I'll distract her. You sneak around and try and get her by surprise."

Two bullets ricocheted by. Persiana smirked,

"No prob, Bats."

She somersaulted to another mainframe, effortlessly dodging each shot. Batman almost smirked to himself as he noted how easy she made it look. He pulled out a Batarang and launched it.

Hecate destroyed it before it even reached her, but that was all that was needed. Farrah silently took cover and, when she was behind the gun slinger, tackled her and slammed her to the cave floor.

However, neither expected to see what was next.

Hecate was a robot…

Next Chapter:

What is going on here?

(1) This means "Move, Diana!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Bast, and Hecate. _

Chapter 12: Hostile Takeover Aftermath 

Persiana and Batman had returned to the Watchtower, collecting the remains of a robotic Hecate from the Kaznian stronghold. Mr. Terrific had gone down with other scientists to try and figure out what was going on in the lab hidden in the castle, and Black Adam was not in the least happy to hear about how his country was eradicated by an android. However, he was in no mood to protest, considering Wonder Woman humiliated him and had gone off to brood about it.

Flash held up the head, dramatically saying,

"Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him well."  
The were-lioness looked up and rolled her eyes,

"Knock it off. Remember what happened the last time you made fun of an experiment in this lab?"  
The speedster thought about if for a nanosecond and put the head down. Farrah smiled,

"Better."

She looked down at the base of the spine of the robot,

"You know, I think I've seen this somewhere before."

Batman asked,

"Where?"

"Well, SHIELD director Nick Fury often had robot duplicates made, just in case something happened to him. He had so many; it was hard to tell who it was. It even fooled my senses, and mine are pretty acute. I heard a rumor that he would often report to his five superiors, and they were all android decoy versions of him." **(1) **

Flash opened his mouth to say something, but scratched his head in confusion,

"That would be weird, taking orders from yourself."  
The feline scientist smirked,

"In your case, it would be annoying."

The Dark Knight pointed a light into the internal components of the android. He looked and noticed a bar code. The first three characters were L-M-D.

Farrah noticed this,

"L.M.D stands for Life Model Decoy. These things are built to last. They're effectively bulletproof, and are made to look, act, sound, behave, and mimic that of their original counterpart."

Batman shook his head,

"Incredible."

Flash said,

"So, the real Hecate is still out there."

Persiana nodded,

"Yeah, but that's not what worries me. What worries me is how she got one in the first place. This is technology only seen in my world, unless…"

She covered her mouth,

"Oh, God. Yellow Jacket. He must have downloaded the schematics and brought it with him into this world, the same as the War Machine technology." **(2) **

The Dark Knight was silent on the issue. Hecate looked a lot liked Diablos. The face, bone structure, the eyes; they could have been related. He asked,

"Did Lance ever talk to you about his family?"

Farrah was a little surprised by the question, but she answered it anyway,

"Honestly, no. Then again, I don't really know too much about his personal life, except he's long lived and Bast has been really involved with him. I almost erupted when I found her in his home." **(3) **

She looked and Batman had done his disappearing trick. Flash shrugged,

"You get used to it."  
The furry heroine nodded,

"I think I'm starting to."

**Meanwhile… **

Bast was prowling the streets, on patrol for Diablos in New Jersey. She had already stopped two muggings, a bank robbery, and an attempted abduction. So far, everything was quiet.

Her heightened sense of smell and hearing had attracted her to an abandoned building. However, the building was anything but abandoned as the goddess saw several men making drugs to ship out into the poor neighborhoods. Bast had heard of these peddlers and it enraged her that these monsters would sell to children.

Her hearing detected someone behind her. She knew the scent,

"Hello, Batman. Come to help me?"

The detective said,

"We need to talk."

The scimitar user smirked,

"I take it this about Hecate. I'll tell you what; help me clean house, and I'll tell you what you need to know about her. Deal?"  
The sound of the window breaking and Batman dropping in was her answer. She unsheathed her scimitar and jumped down, roaring with animalistic fervor.

**Five minutes later… **

The drug peddlers were tied up and their equipment destroyed. One of them had curled into the fetal position whimpering,

"Cats. Cats everywhere. Cats are going to eat me."

He noticed a stray alley cat and shrieked like a girl. He bolted away, but ran into a brick wall, knocking himself out.

Bast laughed hard,

"Now, that was fun."

She dusted her hands off,

"Diablos did like making a challenge for himself. I can see why he picked this place."

Batman had his arms folded,

"Bast, about Hecate…"

The goddess nodded,

"Right. Well, if you hadn't figured it out yet, yeah, there is a relationship between Hecate and Diablos. They're twins."

Bruce wasn't completely surprised by it; he had seen the relation. Bast continued,

"Believe me; Diablos is nothing like that psychotic twin of his. Other than that, I don't know too much about him myself. He's a mystery to even me, sad to say."  
Batman asked,

"What about her firearms?"

Bast shrugged,

"Sorry, the last time we met her, she didn't have any."

Batman said,

"Is there anything else?"

Bast snapped her fingers, remembering,

"Wait, she has to sleep for a long time. I remember that she had exhausted herself after spending months using her powers. She was in a deep, coma-like rest, and we used that opportunity to seal her in a tomb. I checked earlier and she got out."

The World's Greatest Detective nodded,

"All right."  
He was about to go when Bast asked,

"Why did you have Persiana find out about him? He would have easily told you if you asked him."  
Batman launched a grappling hook and flew away. The goddess shook her head,

"I have no idea what that Amazon sees in him."

She mentally added,

_Diablos, where are you? _

**Meanwhile… **

The real Hecate was sitting in what appeared to be a luxurious chalet in the middle of a mountainous region. It was night time, and it was snowing outside.

Hecate was dressed in a black silk robe, curled up on a leather recliner. She had a cigar in one hand and a glass containing an amber liquid in the other. As she sipped the amber liquid, she was watching the news about the nuclear blast. She heard the reports flow in,

"…Unconfirmed reports of a nuclear blast…"

"…Sources close to the prime minister say that a blast was confirmed…"

"…Officials are looking into terrorist cells…"

Hecate laughed,

"Humans are truly amusing. If they never wanted these weapons, they should have never even considered building them in the first place."  
Her twin pistols lay on a table, as well as a chess set. She curiously looked at the game set and smiled, shaking her head,

"Well, Diablos. I have made my move. What will you do next?"

Next Chapter:

Let's take a moment and torture Miss Marvel!

**(1)** I don't know where I heard about this. I think it was in one of the Marvel Handbooks, but it is true.

**(2)** Please Read Crimes of Passion for details

**(3)** Please read Titans East for details


	13. Chapter 13

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Hecate, and Bast. _

Chapter 13: The Miss Marvel Torture Chapter 

Farrah had been cooped in the lab for three days. Hecate was nowhere to be found, and Diablos had vanished too. Bast and Batman were looking for him. The were-lioness wanted to help, but she needed to first find out how Hecate got an LMD, and she could use that to find the mad goddess' location. Sighing at not finding results, Persiana walked to the cafeteria for a snack.

Miss Marvel was muttering some very explicit words as she walked down the hall, dripping red spaghetti sauce. She roared,

"FARRAH, COME HERE AND DIE!"  
Persiana crowed,

"Hey, Carol, try cooking again? You know you eat food, not wear it."  
The former Air Force pilot screeched and flew right into her wise-cracking teammate, a cat fight breaking out.

Guy Gardner whopped,

"Yahoo! Cat-fight!"  
A white-haired woman in a white and blue costume admonished him,

"Guy!"  
She walloped Guy across the head. Guy hissed,

"Hey, Tora. That hurt!"  
Tora sighed and proceeded to separate the two brawling women.

A man in a blue and gold suit with gold sunglasses and gold robot hovering over him was drooling over the fight. His name was Michael Carter, the hero from the future known as Booster Gold. He was always accompanied by his android companion Skeets.

Skeets commented,

"Booster, I believe we should break this up. This is escalating to beyond simple pranking."  
A man in a trench coat nodded,

"Yeah, I've never seen Carol this mad before."

He was a wearing a red trench coat and had red sunglasses on, covering his eyes. He was Simon William, the hero known as Wonder Man. He and Carol were good friends.

The former Air Force Pilot swore up a storm as she and Persiana were forcibly separated. The were-lioness shook her head, asking innocently,

"Carol, is something wrong? You look a little upset."  
Miss Marvel screeched,

"YOU DUMPED MARINARA ON ME! OF COURSE I'M UPSET!"  
Simon shook his head,

"Carol; Farrah and I were here the entire time. There's no way she could have done this."

Just then, two people walked in on the commotion; one was a man in a blue insect costume with yellow goggles. He was Ted Kord, the super-smart hero known as the Blue Beetle. With him was a striped were-tigress in a leather bikini. She was Greer Nelson, the heroine known as Tigra. The two were sharing a laugh.

Tigra smiled,

"Wow, and I thought Hawkeye was bad."  
Beetle shook his head laughing,

"Yeah, with all the pranks Flash plays, I'm surprised he doesn't get kicked out."  
Greer nodded, then noticed her friend Carol covered in marinara. She asked,

"Carol, what happened?"

Miss Marvel pointed a very angry finger at Persiana,

"Ask her! She did this!"  
Farrah placed her hands on her hips,

"Hey, Barbie! I told you before, I didn't do that. Are you having one of your blonde moments again?"  
Carol roared,

"Why you little-!"

"MCGURK!"  
Instantly, there was stone silence. Persiana tutted,

"Carol, I'm surprised."  
The mysterious voice shouted again,

"MCGURK! WHERE ARE YA, BUDDY!"  
Tigra asked,

"Is Gilbert Godfrey a part of the Justice League?"

Just then, in front of everyone, a little man with a big head in a purple suit with a little purple derby hat, and a voice similar to the comedian Gilbert Godfrey, appeared in front of the Super-buddies and the Avengers. He shouted,

"MCGURK!"  
He walked around the room, looking under the tables, chairs, even sticking his head through Miss Marvel's ears, shouting,

"WHERE ARE YA, MCGURK! WE GOTTA GET HOME!"  
Guy scoffed,

"Hey, who's the cartoon character?"

Ted observed,

"I've heard of this being. His name is Myxztlpk."

Mr. Myxztlpk glared at him,

"It's MISTER, genius!"  
He materialized a frying pan and hit Beetle upside the head with it. The insect hero rubbed his wound,

"Ow! Sorry."

Persiana squealed,

"He's so cute!"  
She ran up and hugged him tightly. The imp from the fifth dimension's head suddenly grew,

"AIR! I NEED AIR!"  
His head exploded off his body and Farrah shrieked. Then, the body stood up and the arms started to feel for the head. The head appeared and Myx looked at the were-lioness,

"Wow, mama. You're hot, for a human."

His eyes caught the sight of Tigra and, literally, his jaw hit the floor and his eyes bulged out of their sockets. Transforming his head into a wolf, he howled,

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOWWW!"  
He darted at her,

"Hey, gorgeous!"

The striped were-tiger nodded nervously,

"Right."

Wonder Man asked,

"Who are you?"  
Myx smiled back,

"Easy, I can't bother Big Blue anymore, but now that I've met you, I wanna play!"

He looked at Miss Marvel and slapped his forehead,

"So that's where my marinara went. I was looking for it everywhere."

Miss Marvel roared,

"THAT WAS YOU?"

She lunged for the funny little imp, but he disappeared in a flash and reappeared behind Guy. He whispered to him,

"It's not her time, is it?"

Carol glared murderously at him,

"DIE!"  
Myx snapped his fingers and instantly, the marinara turned into snails. The former Air Force Pilot shrieked with fear,

"SNAILS! GET THEM AWAY FROM ME!"  
She ran out of the cafeteria, shrieking in fright.

Persiana laughed on the floor, howling,

"That was hysterical! Do it again!"  
Blue Beetle explained,

"Myx is from the fifth dimension. He is a being of near omnipotence, and loves to play pranks, especially on Superman. He shows up every ninety days. The only way to send him back is having him say his name."  
The imp from the fifth dimension transformed into a game show host and shouted,

"And you win the million dollar grand prize!"  
Wonder Man scratched his head,

"So we have to get him to say his name so he will disappear for ninety days. That sounds a little too easy."  
Booster was busy writing something on the table. As he scribbled with his pen, Farrah looked over his shoulder,

"What are you doing?"  
Booster smiled,

"Watch."  
He finished and walked up to Myx,

"Could you read this for me?"  
Myx shrugged,

"What is it?"

"A new ad I'm working on."

Myx read the first line out loud,

"His name is Mr. Myxktlplk and-."  
Instantly, he disappeared, screaming,

"I'll get you for this!"  
As soon as he disappeared, Carol was no longer covered in snails. She breathed a sigh of relief. So did the others.

Guy scoffed,

"We could always have beaten him up."  
Ice shook her head,

"Oh, Guy."

Booster whopped,

"Finally, he's gone!"  
Beetle nodded,

"Only until the next ninety days comes around."  
Farrah smirked,

"Something tells me every third month around here is gonna be pretty lively."

Next Chapter:

Cyborg Superman travels to a junk planet and makes a startling discovery, one that will help him engineer the downfall of the Man of Steel. Find out more next time!


	14. Chapter 14

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos. _

Chapter 14: Rebuilding the Past 

Cyborg Superman floated through space as a mass of energy. Despite the body that he had managed to create for himself using the rocket he was in, the body was not durable enough to fight the Man of Steel. Henshaw needed something stronger; something that would make Superman cringe in terror and fear him.

As he continued to float through space, he eventually came across a heavenly body. Closer inspection of the body was revealed to be a planet, but this was no ordinary planet. This was a planet filled with trash. Cyborg Superman thought to himself,

_Interesting, a planet full of trash and scrap metal. I might be able to construct a new body for myself, or enhance this old one. _

He allowed the natural gravity of the planet to overtake his frail form and entered the atmosphere. Although the heat was intense, it was nothing compared to the burning desire for revenge Henshaw had for Superman. It was consuming the former scientist, the ways he would torture Superman and his family, if he had any.

Henshaw crashed onto the planet's surface, creating a crater and junk flying all around him. Using his numerous tendrils, he began grabbing every piece of scrap metal around him, attempting to fortify his body again for space travel and his eventual encounter with Superman.

As he began rebuilding a new body, Henshaw noticed something in the debris. It was an odd thing, but one he could not ignore.

He approached closer, allowing a tendril to coil around the object. Bringing it closer to him, Henshaw studied the object. It was a robotic head, with a gray face and orange skull. Henshaw turned the head upside down and over and saw some circuitry in the lining. He thought to himself,

_An android, here? Might be a servant android or something. I wonder… _

He absorbed the android head into him, allowing it as part of his new body.

Suddenly, he could feel and hear thousands of thoughts coming in at once. His human mind was, at first, unable to grasp such an enormity of thoughts, but, Henshaw slowed them down, until he was able to discern them. The robotic head Cyborg Superman had found was that of a robot called Manhunter. There were thousands of these robots, that would patrol the cosmos at the will of the Guardians, before the Green Lantern Corps was established. However, the robots rebelled against the Guardians and nearly destroyed Oa, had it not been for the Justice League. Many of the other Manhunter robots had scattered themselves across the cosmos, wandering aimlessly with no leader and no programming guide.

Henshaw disabled his link with the robot and thought for a moment. A sadistic grin spread across his face. He knew that, despite the untold power of his new body, Henshaw was just one person. He could never hope to withstand the might of the entire League. But, with an army, an army of killing machines to do his bidding…that could change.

Henshaw laughed,

"Now, I've got you, Superman!"  
He reactivated his link and began tracking the remaining Manhunter clusters. While he was tracking, other tendrils sprouted and began reabsorbing more metal into the new Cyborg Superman's body. Once it was complete, he would begin the search for the Manhunter robot cells, and unite them. His revenge would be accomplished.

**Meanwhile, in another part of the galaxy… **

Mongul was flying through space, wielding both the yellow ring and green ring. His search for the other lights continued through the vacuum of space, in his bid to discover the hidden power once all seven lights were united.

Recently, word had spread that a new Lantern, an orange one, had been draining Green Lantern Corps members of their energy and essence. The deposed ruler of Warworld had to find this being, and take his ring.

The Orange Lantern in question was a being known as Agent Orange. The orange color represented avarice, the unquenchable greed that bequeathed the ring wearer. As a result, there was only one Orange Lantern, but, by draining the essence of those around him, he could add them to his ever growing army of orange bringers of destruction, as constructs to be used against the enemy. Agent Orange was greedy to the extreme, and wanted everything he could lay his hands on. He was a scrawny grey alien, who coveted his orange lantern like a teddy bear. He would never give it up, no matter what.

Agent Orange had just finished draining two Lantern Corps members of their powers and essence. He cackled maniacally,

"MINE! IT'S ALL MINE! NOT YOURS! MINE! MINE! MINE!"

He was suddenly leveled by an emerald blast of energy. Agent Orange turned around and snarled,

"YOU!"

Mongul glared,

"Give me the orange ring, and I will ensure you die a quick death."

The orange Lantern shouted,

"NO! IT'S MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! AND SO ARE YOUR RINGS!"  
He created orange constructs of the two dead Lanterns he just absorbed. The two now sported orange Lantern symbols and charged, shouting,

"MINE! GIVE IT TO ME!"  
Mongul created a yellow construct of a double-barrelled shotgun and blew both of the constructs away with yellow buckshot. Agent Orange ran away, firing behind his shoulder,

"NO! YOU'LL NEVER TAKE IT FROM ME! IT'S MINE! MINE! IT'S ALL MINE!"  
He created more constructs of former Lanterns and other beings he had absorbed. Mongul kept right on going, creating an emerald steamroller and plowing his way over the constructs that Agent Orange was creating to stop him.

However, the numbers game began taking its toll, and, Mongul was soon surrounded by several orange constructs all tackled him and an all out fist fight commenced.

The ruler of Warworld was used to taking a lot of punishment; he once took on Superman and nearly destroyed him on his battle planet. Mongul could also dish out a lot of punishment and, creating fists of emerald and yellow energy on either hand, proceeded to pound each construct hard. Mongul knew it was only going to be a matter of time before the avarice avatar would create enough constructs to overwhelm him, so he had to work fast.

Mongul created emerald and yellow constructs of soldiers, and launched them at the avarice Lantern. Agent Orange summoned as many of the essences as he could to assist him, but his obsessive greed got the better of him as he tried to absorb the energy from the rings. That was when one of the constructs struck him and, feeling dazed for a moment, allowed the ruler of Warworld to grab Agent Orange's hand and rip the ring off, complete with finger. Agent Orange shrieked,

"NO! IT'S MINE! YOU CAN'T HAVE-!"  
His essence was then drained by the orange ring, and now, Agent Orange was a construct for the new, and solitary, Orange Lantern. Mongul grinned evilly,

"At last, more power is mine. However, it is still not enough. I must have more. I must have more rings."

He then had a startling realization; Earth. He may find more rings on Earth. Or, at the very least, people that could help power his Orange Lantern. Mongul powered up, glowing in an aura that changed from orange, to green, to yellow. His next destination...Earth.

Next Chapter:

Lobo is contracted to kidnap two members of the Justice League. Who are they, and who hired him? Stay tuned!


	15. Chapter 15

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Hecate, Leon/Crisis, and Lance/Diablos. _

Chapter 15: Bounty Hunted Part 1 

Persiana was perched near one of the windows in her room onboard the Watchtower. Ever since her boyfriend had gone off on hiatus to find Hecate, the lioness had grown a bit alone in the tower. She knew her mate and champion was coming back, but Farrah felt a lonely, and a bit cold. The were-cat shivered as she continued to stargaze through her window. (1)

There was a knock at the door, and Persiana, not turning around, said,

"It's open."

The door hissed open and Tigra stepped in. The stripped feline looked at her adopted sister,

"Hey, Farrah. Is everything all right?"

The white-haired feline's sagging shoulders and loud sigh said it all. Greer came near her and perched next to her,

"Is it about Lance?"

Farrah nodded sadly,

"Yeah, it is. I mean, I'm worried about him, Greer. He's gone off to find his sister after what happened, and I'm worried I won't ever see him again."

She wiped a tear away, trying to keep her composure. Tigra narrowed her eyes,

"You're worried he'll end up like Leon again, aren't you?"

Farrah jumped down to the floor, her stomach and chest dropping until it was parallel to the floor. She paced around for a little bit, trying not to lose control of herself. However, it was proving difficult, and she let loose with her emotions,

"I can't stand it! I can't lose someone else again!"  
She curled into a ball and started sobbing. Tigra came near her and held her, trying to calm her adopted sister down. Greer said soothingly,

"Take it easy, Farrah. Everything's going to be all right."

The were-lioness looked at the tigress,

"How can it? Huh? You tell me? I already lost one man in my life who loved me! I'm not going to lose a second!"

She wanted to storm out but Tigra tackled her and snarled in her face,

"You don't think I know what you're going through? I went through the exact same thing when my husband died! For a while, I was desperate and frightened, but I found the strength in myself to go on and be a hero!"

She looked at her student's frightened face and, visibly calmer, continued,

"I know Lance will come back. You just need to give him time. He won't lose. I know it, and, deep down, you do too."

Persiana's lips trembled at the tongue lashing she got. She thought of crying again, but this time, she clenched her fists and shook her head,

"You're right. I'm not going to get down about it."

Greer got off and Farrah stood up,

"Thanks, sis. I really needed that."

Tigra smirked,

"Any time."  
Just then, the alarm went off. The two were-cats dashed out to see what was the problem.

**In another part of the Watchtower… **

J'onn and Mr. Terrific were scanning the area. The Martian hero said,

"We have an incoming object on our screen, heading on a collision course with the Watchtower."

Too late, as the object in question smashed through the glass in the Watchtower. As the glass broke, the warning alarm went off and the emergency sealers activated. Metal screens lowered to the opening in the Watchtower, restoring the seal that protected the inhabitants from the vacuum of space.

The object that crashed through the Watchtower was a hovering motorcycle. It was a big machine, with an alien looking skull on the front end of it. The rider of the motorcycle was a big, muscular man with pale white skin and black hair. He wielded a large chain, which was wrapped around himself, and had a big hook on the end of it. He was also dressed like a grunge biker.

The alien biker looked around,

"All right, fraggers! I'm back!"

J'onn growled,

"Lobo. What do you want?"

Lobo feigned innocence,

"Me? Want? What makes you think I want anything?"

Hawkgirl came charging in, smashing her mace into Lobo's hard jaw. That sent the bounty hunter into a wall. The Thanagarian warrior said,

"I hope you get up. I've got a lot of aggression I need to work out."

Miss Marvel and Wonder Man came on the scene. The Air Force major shook her head,

"Who is that?"

Lobo looked up,

"Well, hello, sweet cheeks."

He stared at her chest, which the blonde folded her arms, scowling,

"I have a name you know. It's Miss Marvel."

The biker grinned lecherously,

"It's because of that rack, right? It is a marvel."

This was followed by an energy blast from the former Avenger. Lobo shrugged it off and dusted his leather jacket,

"Nice one. I like a girl that plays rough."

He jumped up to her level and pulled her closer,

"How 'bout a kiss, sugar?"

Persiana and Tigra ran in at that moment and noticed Lobo trying to make out with Miss Marvel. The lioness grinned and shouted,

"Hey, Barbie! Is that your new boyfriend?"

Carol slammed a massive fist into the bounty hunter and shouted,

"You're lucky I have to deal with him right at the moment, furball! Otherwise, I'd skin you alive!"

Wonder Man tried to restore order,

"Ladies, now is not the best time for this."

Lobo hefted himself up and threw the chain at Wonder Man. It wrapped around the ionic hero and Lobo began spinning him at high speeds. Finally, he went sailing into Miss Marvel and the two of them went into a wall. Lobo then looked at Persiana and Tigra,

"So, these are the cat chicks he wants, huh?"  
He jumped down, shaking the station as he hit the floor. He looked at the feline heroines,

"You two ladies are coming with me. Someone's paying big bucks for me to kidnap you two."

Tigra and Persiana both braced for an attack. The striped heroine said,

"Suppose we decide not to go with the eighties biker reject."

Lobo smirked smugly,

"Like you two have a choice, sweet cakes."

He whistled for his bike. The hover bike heeded its master's call and traveled straight to him. Persiana and Tigra both jumped out of the way, which allowed the space biker to get his chain and launch it at them. The chain wrapped around the two of them and their heads collided with each other, knocking them out. Lobo then picked up the bundle and shoved them both in the compartment underneath his bike seat. Before he left, he pulled out a blaster and fired randomly, breaking most of the windows. He then sped away as the metallic screens came down.

Wonder Man and Miss Marvel both recovered around this time. Both of them were shaking their heads and trying to get their bearings in order. The Hollywood actor asked,

"Who was that guy?"  
Hawkgirl explained,

"His name is Lobo, and he's a bounty hunter. He's the last of his species."

Carol looked up, worried,

"You mean, there were once more of guys like Lobo?"  
J'onn shook his head,

"From what Superman told me, Lobo wiped out his own species because he was, what Earthlings would call, a problem child."

The half-Kree soldier looked around,

"But, why would anyone want to pay Lobo to kidnap Persiana and Tigra? It doesn't make sense…unless…"

**Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location… **

Lobo had landed the bike down at a warehouse. He had crashed through the roof of the building and shouted,

"Hey! Where's my money?"

A voice from the shadows said,

"Patience, you! First, I want to see them both!"  
Lobo grumbled and, lifting the back seat, threw both of the were-cats to the ground. Persiana moaned as she looked up,

"Where am I?"

The voice then said the one word that would not only set Persiana off, but it would also give away who he was,

"!"

Next Chapter:  
A team of League members goes down to rescue Persiana and Tigra, but may end up rescuing Catman as well!

(1) Read Demons Amongst Us for details


	16. Chapter 16

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos. _

Chapter 16: Bounty Hunted Part 2 

Miss Marvel, Wonder Man, Blue Beetle, and Booster Gold teleported down to where Lobo was last detected. It was not hard to find Lobo; he did tend to leave a trail of destruction where he went, and they found the warehouse with the big hole in it without a problem. Booster shook his head,

"Well, at least he was easy to find."

A loud girlish scream was heard, and the four League members saw Catman running for his life as Tigra and Persiana were chasing them with large axes. Persiana screamed at the top of her lungs,

"CATMAN, YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL CHOP YOU INTO LIVER WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"

Tigra also joined her adopted sister, roaring,

"YOU'RE GONNA REGRET THIS, BUSTER!"  
The feline villain narrowly avoided a swinging axe attack, trying to talk his way out of yet another attempt at seduction gone wrong,

"But, goddesses, you must understand! As felines, we must mate! Why don't you want to mate with me?"  
Persiana shrieked,

"YOU WANT A LIST? YOU HIJACK A TV STATION, CRASH A RESTAUTANT, AND HIT ON EVERY FUZZY CHICK YOU MEET! YOU AREN'T A REAL FELINE, SO DON'T BOTHER TRYING TO SAY OTHERWISE!"  
She swung her axe, barely missing Catman's head. She continued,

"YOU FLIRTED WITH ME IN FRONT OF MY SISTER AND MY FRIENDS! AND, THE BIGGEST REASON I DON'T WANT TO MATE WITH YOU; I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!"

The tiger Avenger added,

"AND SO DO I! HE'S STANDING RIGHT THERE!"

Catman looked at Blue Beetle, still running,

"Him? How is he worthy to mate with you?"

Lobo looked on, surprised at what he was seeing. He blinked,

"I got paid to do this?"

He pulled out a beer and started chugging it. Catman shouted,

"Lobo! Help me subdue them!"  
The alien bounty hunter belched and said,

"Sorry, that's gonna cost you extra."

The other heroes that were gathered just blinked in confusion at what was going on. Booster said,

"I think we should have suspected Catman from the get-go."

Miss Marvel noticed Lobo and snarled,

"Payback time!"  
She charged and speared Lobo through the side wall of the warehouse. Wonder Man went to help his friend and teammate.

Blue Beetle and Booster Gold looked on as Tigra and Persiana continued their mad dash after the love-stricken Catman, who, miraculously, was staying ahead of their swinging axes, barely. Michael looked at Ted,

"Do you want to talk to your girlfriend?"

The inventor looked back at his time-traveling friend,

"And risk getting chopped up with that axe? No thanks, it's bad enough with her claws."

The fame-seeker shot his friend a sly grin,

"Claws, huh? Does she use fangs too?"  
The cerulean insect hero looked at Michael,

"I am not going to dignify that with an answer."

Michael whined,

"Why not? Outside of Wonder Woman, Tigra's the hottest heroine to walk the Earth, both in this and in my time. And you're nailing her!"

Blue Beetle rubbed the bridge of his nose,

"First of all, she is an attractive woman. Second, why should you care who I am dating?"

Booster smirked,

"Easy. I'm your best friend, and, hopefully, if this relationship goes well, the best man at your wedding with her."  
He then realized,

"Damn, I would be so jealous if you and her got hitched. I think every other man would be too."

Blue Beetle looked evenly at his friend,

"What makes you think we're going to get married?"

Catman screamed,

"HELP! THEY'VE CAUGHT ME! LOVE HURTS BIG TIME!"  
Persiana roared,

"I GOT YOU NOW, JACKASS! PREPARE TO DIE!"  
Booster, continuing his conversation with his friend, said,

"Come on, what makes you NOT want to marry her? I've seen the way you two look at each other. You can't wait to get back in bed and find out if she is a flexible as a real cat."

Ted rolled his eyes,

"According to Farrah, Greer was married, but her husband was gunned down by crooked cops."

Booster wiped a tear away, feigning crying,

"And he must have been the luckiest bastard on the planet."

Ted glared,

"This was before Greer became a hero."

Michael shrugged,

"So? What's she like when she's human?"

Blue Beetle grinned,

"Something you'll never see, Michael."

Lobo came crashing through the wall of the warehouse, shouting,

"I LOVE A GIRL THAT PLAYS ROUGH!"  
Miss Marvel was right behind, landing another uppercut. She shouted,

"Pervert!"

The two crashed through another wall, the fight continuing. Wonder Man came flying in,

"Have either one of you seen Carol?"

The two heroes pointed to the other hole in the wall. The actor waved,

"Thanks."

He flew through the newly formed hole. Booster whined,

"Oh, come on. Why wouldn't I see her in her human form?"

Ted looked at his friend with an even look again,

"You and Guy are constantly trying to tape Persiana and Tigra whenever they practice in the simulator. Not to mention, Diablos found out about it and threatened to drain your life essence after he chopped you into cat food and promised to feed you to his girlfriend."

Catman pleaded,

"MY KNEES! YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BEND THEM THAT WAY!"

Tigra shouted back,

"SHUT UP, YOU CAT WANNABE PERVERT!"  
Booster shrugged,

"That was one time."

Ted looked at his friend,

"Michael, you tried to do it last week. And the week before that. And the week before that too. In fact, since the two of them had patched things up, you, Flash, Guy, and Green Arrow are always trying to tape their training sessions together."

The fame seeking hero shook his head,

"Wait, the last time that happened, it was Green Arrow who got caught. I was busy taping a smack down between Vixen, Gypsy, and Zatanna. Incidently, you know Green Arrow has a kid?"

Ted winced,

"I hate to have seen the look on Canary's face when she found out about it."

Michael nodded,

"Yeah. I heard she screamed so loud, it caused an earthquake on the other side of the continent."

He pondered for a moment,

"Still, what type of chick do you think Ollie nailed to have him? He's supposed to be some bad-ass martial artist."

Blue Beetle shook his head,

"Don't know. Love to see him and Batman go at it sometime. You know he's on Titans East now?"

Booster grinned,

"Seriously? I bet he's a hit with the ladies."

Ted thought for a moment,

"Well, I heard he's trying to find a date with this ninja chick down in Miami Diablos and Persiana ran into when they had to get away for a while."

Catman wailed as he got up,

"HELP! PAIN! LOVE ISN'T SUPPOSED TO HURT THIS MUCH!"

Blue Beetle sighed,

"This is getting out of hand."

He walked up to Catman and landed a hard cross, knocking out the love struck feline villain. Tigra instantly cheered,

"My hero!"  
She tackled the inventor and nuzzled him. Booster laughed,

"Did I ever tell you you are the luckiest man in the world, buddy?"

Ted wheezed,

"Can't. Breathe."

Next Chapter:

A new recruit decides to join the Justice League, and it's one that is sure to raise eyebrows. Find out who, next time!


	17. Chapter 17

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana. _

Chapter 17: Red in the Head, and Crazy Too! 

Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were reviewing the reports the other League members had filed from their missions. Currently, the three were reading the mission in which Tigra and Persiana had been kidnapped by Lobo, who was hired by Catman. The Last Son of Krypton shook his head,

"Someone has to have a serious talk with those two about what happened. I have never heard of your limbs moving in those types of directions."

He looked up and saw the Amazon princess laughing. Diana said,

"As far as I am concerned, Catman deserves what he gets. His attempts at seduction have been met with resistance and futility."  
Bruce narrowed his eyes,

"You just made that up, didn't you?"  
Diana feigned innocence,

"Who, me?"

Batman looked to Superman,

"Persiana is definitely a bad influence on her."  
The Amazon princess sighed defeatedly,

"How can any one woman do this much brutality to someone and completely forget about it ever happening?"

Superman shook his head,

"I have no idea how the Avengers put up with her. And with Tigra. The two of them got back, and Tigra just jumped into Blue Beetle's arms and left for her room. I don't want to tell you the sounds that were coming from that room."

Bruce barely hinted at a smirk.

J'onn radioed in,

"Superman, you have a visitor."

Clark asked,

"Who is it?"

"It is Princess Maxima. She requests an audience with you."

The female voice barked,

"I don't request anything, Martian! I am demanding Superman greet me now!"  
A loud crash was heard. Wonder Woman said,

"We had better get down there."

The three heroes ran with all due haste.

**At the control room… **

Maxima, the red-headed teen princess, crossed her arms furiously and barked out,

"Where is he? I'm waiting!"  
She picked up a chair and threw it, hitting Booster. He yelled out,

"OW! My head!"

Maxima paced up and down, her yellow and green cape fluttering over her gold armor chest plate. She shouted,

"Where are you, Superman? As a princess, I am demanding you greet me!"  
The princess of Almerac grabbed another chair and changed it into a sword. She waved it around,

"If Superman isn't here in five seconds, I'm cutting this whole place up!"

The sword was pointed dangerously close to Booster Gold's throat. The hero from the future gulped nervously.

Luckily, Superman arrived and said,

"Maxima, let him go!"  
The princess dropped the fame seeker to the ground and grunted,

"Cowardly worm."

She sheathed her sword and placed her arms on her hips,

"It's about time you got here. I was waiting for ages."

J'onn looked at the clock,

"It was about five minutes."

Maxima screamed,

"No one's asking you!"  
She turned back, calmer,

"How are you, Superman?"

Clark folded his arms,

"What do you-?"

Before he could react, Maxima ran up to him and hugged him tightly, grabbing his butt for good measure. She pouted,

"I was bored on Almerac, and, after what happened with Wonder Man, I realized, I needed something in my life to make it more meaningful than just a man." (1)

The princess looked up,

"I want to join the Justice League."

At this, even Batman could not keep a straight face as he, along with everyone in the room, dropped their jaws open in shock. Diana finally managed to say,

"You can't possibly be serious."

Maxima nodded,

"Yes, I am. You see, I want to help people."  
Booster commented,

"And satisfy your constant need to break things."

This was followed by Maxima delivering a swift kick to the stomach, and Booster keeling over.

Superman sighed, saying,

"Maxima, being a part of the Justice League is more than just beating up the bad guys. It's about setting an example, to show people how to help themselves succeed and help people love happily with each other, and to make the world a better place to live in."

Maxima looked at Superman with starry-lit eyes. She had never heard a speech more profound and riveting in her whole life. After a moment of processing it, Maxima said,

"So, am I a part of the League or what?"

A chorus of groans filled the room. Superman said,

"Help me out here, Batman."

Wonder Woman shook her head,

"Sorry, Superman. Batman and I have to finish those reports."

She grabbed the Dark Knight and the two bolted back to the safety of the conference room. Clark grumbled,

"Nice one, you two."

He turned back to Maxima, who was giving him the puppy dog treatment. Superman finally said,

"Let me discuss it with the others. For now, you'll have to wait."

Maxima pouted, extending her lower lip out like a child. She sighed,

"All right."

**Five minutes later… **

Superman had gathered the others and was discussing the possibility of letting Maxima on the team. Needless to say, some of the Big Seven were not thrilled with the idea, especially Wonder Woman,

"You cannot be serious."

Superman rubbed the back of his head,

"Well, to be honest, Maxima is a capable fighter, and she does rule a planet."

John Stewart rolled his eyes,

"I've heard of how she does it. She's as bad as Farrah."

Flash shrugged,

"Maxima can't be that bad."

The African American Green Lantern looked at the speedster,

"You obviously haven't heard how impulsive she is."

Hawkgirl added,

"Hormonal, too. If kidnapping Wonder Man was any indication, yeah, that would be a bad idea."

J'onn thought for a moment before saying,

"Taming of the Shrew."

The others looked at him. Diana asked,

"What?"

Batman explained,

"It's a play by William Shakespeare. It's about a traveling scholar and musician that gets hired by this lord to tutor the lord's daughter, who screeches loudly and throws things when she gets mad."

Hawkgirl smirked,

"Sounds like Maxima to me."

Diana asked,

"Does this musician do anything to her?"

Batman nodded,

"He does eventually get her to realize what she is doing, and the two even fall for each other."

Wonder Woman nodded in understanding and said,

"I suppose she can join."

Superman smiled,

"Wonderful!"  
Batman added,

"But, she has to be in Metropolis."

Hawkgirl added,

"Maybe we should have Persiana and Maxima go on a little patrol in Metropolis."

The Last Son of Krypton gulped,

"Are you serious? Those two could wreck the whole city!"  
The Thanagarian warrior grinned evilly,

"Come on, Supes. You honestly don't think it could ever get that bad, could it?"

Superman sighed,

"I'll make the arrangements."

Next Chapter:

Maxima and Persiana get caught in a high-stakes battle against one of the Avengers' enemies. Find out who, next time!

(1) Read Love in the Air for details.


	18. Chapter 18

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana. _

Chapter 18: Absorbing it All In 

Having finally been made a part of the Justice League, at her behest, Maxima was currently being escorted to her quarters on the Watchtower satellite. Persiana had been elected to this task unanimously by the Big Seven for one reason and one reason only; they were both crazy.

Farrah grinned,

"So, like the place so far?"

The red-headed princess looked around,

"Well, it is lively, like the city where the palace is, but that is to be expected."

The lioness nodded in agreement,

"Yeah, it does tend to be. It also tends to be a bit crazy around here too."

As soon as the sentence was finished, there was a loud explosion. Green Arrow ran by, shouting,

"HELP! SHE'S AFTER ME!"  
Black Canary was right behind him, wielding a katana. She roared,

"YOU PERVERT! GET BACK HERE SO I CAN SET YOU STRAIGHT!"  
She attempted to hit Arrow with the katana, but the emerald archer ducked at the last minute. However, the katana did perforate the little hat Ollie always wore with the costume. The two then continued down the hallway.

Maxima blinked,

"What was that all about?"  
The feral scientist shook her head,

"It's nothing. Arrow does tend to be a bit of a perv. He keeps spying on me and Tigra when we fight. Don't worry; Canary'll set him straight. Or kill him."

She then realized,

"Huh, you know, I had no idea Ollie had a bald spot until now."

Persiana then turned and looked,

"Oh, we're here."

She pressed a button and the door slid open. Maxima looked in and turned on the light. She noticed the room was plainly decorated. There was furniture in the room, but, again, it was plain. Maxima folded her arms,

"I hope this isn't the best accommodations around here."

Farrah smirked,

"You'd be surprised at how much space you have to work with. Personally, I made my room a bit more like home."

She grinned,

"Come on, we'll go to Metropolis and get some things to make the place nice. A can of paint here and a splash of wall paper there will make your room lively."

The monarch of Almerac smiled,

"I like that. You know, Superman said you are a bit crazy, but, from what I see of you…you seem normal."

Persiana blinked at that,

"I don't know whether that's a compliment or an insult."

**In Metropolis… **

Having changed into civilian identities, Maxima and Farrah were now walking the streets of Metropolis, attempting to look for items that would help make Maxima's room less bland and more personable. Of course, the red-head monarch was finding life as a civilian a bit difficult. Normally, she would beckon her servants to get whatever she wanted, but, now that she had to learn how to get it herself. It was frustrating for the monarch, and the lioness hoped to change that.

Persiana looked at the newest recruit,

"So, what do you want your room to look like?"

Maxima thought it over,

"I want something regal. Something to say that this is my room, and no one shall enter unless invited by me."

She then smiled,

"Except for Superman. He is always invited. With his strong body, his handsome face, his chiseled chin..."

She had a dreamy gaze as she was having a little fantasy. Farrah chuckled,

"Nice one. I think green and yellow go nicely, don't you think?"

Maxima was still in her dreamy fantasy. The disguised feral heroine tapped her shoulder,

"Maxi? You awake in there?"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Not too far away from the two women, there was a bald man with shimmering metallic skin. He was wielding a ball and chain weapon as he smashed it into a car. His name is Carl 'Crusher' Creel, the Absorbing Man. The Absorbing Man was a villain from Persiana's world, and now had been transplanted into the new one thanks to Loki. (1)

Maxima, her fantasy interrupted, growled,

"Who is that?"

Farrah explained,

"That's Absorbing Man. He's bad news."

Maxima, not wasting any time, used her telekinetic powers, changed from her civilian clothes to her costume. She then charged in. Farrah shook her head,

"Enthusiastic, I'll give her that."

The feral heroine ducked into an alley to change.

Absorbing Man picked up a car and threw it at the storefront he just robbed,

"Hah! You think you punks can beat me?"  
He turned, and was leveled by a super strong punch from the red-headed telekinetic. Absorbing Man was thrown threw a window, taking on the properties of the glass. He shattered on the floor and reformed; his body now a shimmering, translucent body. Creel growled,

"Bitch! I'll make you pay for that!"  
Maxima folded her arms,

"I am Lady Maxima, heir to the throne of Almerac, and the best warrior-."

Her response was cut short as Absorbing Man took on the properties of his chain and ball and whipped it at Maxima. The telekinetic monarch got slammed into a lamp post. She grabbed said lamp post and turned it into a sword. She shouted in battle fervor,

"No one interrupts me!"

She went to cleave the former Masters of Evil member in half, but was met with resistance as the sword not only failed to cut him, but Creel took on the qualities of the sword. He smirked,

"Thanks. I needed that!"  
He used his ball and chain weapon again, flattening Maxima into the street. The powerhouse was about to go for the deathblow when Persiana flipped into the air, teasing,

"Tag, you're it!"  
Simply touching the absorbing villain, Absorbing Man no longer became super strong, but now had taken on the physical properties of a certain white-haired lioness. Creel looked at Persiana and hissed,

"You! I'm gonna skin you alive!"  
Having also gained Persiana's agility and reflexes, Creel dashed quicker than he normally did. Persiana flipped onto a pole, while the Absorbing villain landed on the side of the building. Because of his powers, Absorbing Man took on the properties of stone and fell to the concrete below. He shattered upon impact and was trying to reform.

Maxima had recovered at this time. Persiana came near her,

"You all right, princess?"

Maxima groaned,

"I will be, as soon as I behead that weakling bastard."

The feral scientist smirked,

"Later. Right now, we have to force him to separate again and isolate his parts, so that way he can't reform."

Maxima looked around and noticed a fire hydrant. Using her telekinetic powers, she grabbed the fire hydrant and turned it into a sword. This left the water flooding the streets everywhere.

Creel reformed in time to touch the water, and the property-absorbing villain had turned into water and immersed himself in with the rest of the water. The water then flowed into an open sewer grate.

Maxima snarled,

"He got away!"  
She slammed her sword through a car,

"I let him get away."

Farrah came near her,

"Chill, princess. He'll surface again. He always does."

The lioness then realized,

"Huh, I just made a funny. Surface again."

She laughed at her own joke. Maxima growled,

"If I ever find him again, I am going to rip him apart, no matter what he becomes!"

**In another part of the world… **

The sewer eventually emptied out into Metropolis harbor. It was there that the Absorbing Man reformed near the wooden dock. He panted, as if exhausted from his ordeal,

"That red-head can hit like Titania. How do I miss my wife so much?"

"We all miss our loved ones, don't we, Carl?"

Absorbing Man looked up to see a bald man in a business suit. He said,

"My name is Lex Luthor and I have come to offer you a chance to help me defeat the Justice League."

Creel grinned,

"Great. I get to smash 'em all, especially that new red-head."

Lex smiled,

"Of course. In exchange for helping me, I will see to it you have your wife brought from your native dimension."

Creel was stunned,

"Are you serious?"

The bald industrialist nodded,

"Of course, dear boy. I would never go back on my word."

Absorbing Man smirked,

"Buddy, you got yourself a deal."

Next Chapter:

Tigra decides to do something special for her 'sister' and her friends. Find out what, next time!

(1) Please read Crimes of Passion


	19. Chapter 19

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Selene. _

Chapter 19: Justice Girls Part 1 

Tigra, the striped feline heroine, dashed down the halls on all fours. She grinned as she flipped over several passing heroes,

"Gang way!"  
Atom Smasher, the super strong giant, and Mr. Terrific looked back. The African-American hero looked at his friend,

"What's up with her?"

Atom Smasher shrugged.

Greer finally stopped and knocked on Farrah's door. The door hissed open and a tired-looking were-lioness looked at her 'sister',

"What is it, Greer? I'm exhausted."

The former Avenger smiled, jumping up and down,

"Let me in, I gotta tell you something!"  
Sighing, Farrah let her mentor in. Greer giggled,

"I finally came up with it."

Farrah yawned,

"Greer, I told you, I stopped switching regular coffee to decaf and adding prune juice to it. I don't know how Question blames me for the last incident but-."

Tigra shook her head,

"No, it's not that."

She added quizzically,

"You put prune juice in the coffee?"

The white-haired were-cat shrugged,

"I was bored one day."

Greer, not wanting to wonder about her student's antics, told her the reason why she came in,

"I've got the perfect thing to cheer you up."  
Farrah looked at her,

"What makes you think I need cheering up?"

Greer said,

"You haven't gotten into a fight with Miss Marvel for days. Plus, you've been helping Maxima decorate her room. Guy made a pass at her, and Maxima erupted, throwing green and yellow paint on him and pounding him into oblivion."

She then realized,

"To be fair, he did go a little far when he slapped her backside."

Persiana grinned,

"All right, that was fun to watch. Ok, I'll bite; what's your idea?"

Tigra smiled and exclaimed,

"A sleep-over!"  
Farrah blinked,

"You're serious?"

Tigra nodded,

"Yep! Once in a while, it's great to just hang out with the girls. Plus, it'll take your mind off of Diablos."

At this, Farrah swallowed nervously. She shook her head,

"I don't know, Greer. I…"

Her voice trailed off as she struggled to find the right words to say. Greer came close and hugged her sister,

"Come on, sis. I promise you'll have a good time. We'll have popcorn, share stories, even play a few games!"  
Farrah began laughing. She shook her head, smiling,

"I can't say no to this. Yeah, I think it's a great idea."

Tigra hugged tightly, rejoicing,

"Yay!"  
Farrah winced,

"Could you not use the claws? They kind of went into my back."

Greer blushed hotly,

"Sorry about that."

She then sprinted out, shouting,

"YYYYIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEE!"  
Farrah smirked at that,

"Sometimes, Tigra is just as crazy as me."

**Meanwhile… **

Blue Beetle and Wonder Man were in the lab, working on another experiment. The cerulean-costumed inventor was busy constructing a small device that would deliver one million decibels of white noise for about five seconds. It was supposed to be a way of incapacitating a target, should other methods fail to do so. The same type of weapon was on Cyborg's cannon, and the former athlete was happy to help with the construction of these disc-like devices.

Simon had a hook up in the lab, and Vic Stone, the Titan hero Cyborg, was broadcasting on the other end. Cyborg said,

"Now, crossing the final wires, you should have completed the circuit."

Of course, conducting an experiment involving the potential shattering of ear drums, the two scientists were wearing specialized hearing protection, and many of the glass in the lab was removed. Blue Beetle said,

"Well, here we go."

The connection was made. However, the door to the lab opened and Booster Gold and Guy Gardner stepped in. The hero from the future said,

"Ted, you are never going to believe what we just heard!"

Suddenly, the two of them were bombarded with the immense white noise attack, which caused the two of them to be thrown into the wall outside the lab. The circuit was disconnected and Ted and Simon ran out. Blue Beetle said,

"Michael, are you all right?"

The fame seeking hero groaned, deliriously remarking,

"I don't look like Johnny Depp, but I know how you can make that mistake."

The others just blinked at that. Guy finally recovered and shouted,

"Nerd! What the hell was that?"

Blue Beetle sighed,

"Guy, the red light on the outside door was on. When it is on, we have a dangerous experiment going on."

The arrogant Green Lantern folded his arms,

"Whatever, nerd. That isn't why we're here."

Booster shook his head,

"Yeah, we heard the most awesome news!"

Blue Beetle looked at them,

"Is this about Tigra organizing a sleep over with the girls?"

Michael looked at him,

"You knew about this, and never told your best friend?"

The inventor shot him a deadpan look,

"Mike, Greer is just having the girls get together to cheer Farrah up. It's been hard on her since Diablos left."

Booster and Guy looked at each other and laughed themselves silly. The time-traveler wiped a tear away, laughing,

"Oh, Ted, man. You are SO naïve."

Wonder Man asked,

"What do you mean?"

Guy said,

"Do you know what happens whenever a group of girls get together for one of these so called sleepovers?"

Ted scratched his head, sarcastically remarking,

"Uh, they could be watching movies or gossiping."  
The red-headed Lantern sighed,

"Oh, poor nerd. You don't get it."

He wiggled his eyebrows and had a lecherous grin on his face. Ted shook his head, somehow knowing what his friend was thinking,

"Oh, come on, Guy."

Michael nodded,

"Guy's right, you know. They could get together and make all girl adult films!"

Ted looked at the two other Super-buddies,

"Do you morons hear yourselves at times? The girls are not making adult films behind our backs. That's just silly to think that."

He then looked at Guy,

"And, last I checked, you and I had girlfriends."

Michael pleaded,

"Come on, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Blue Beetle shook his head,

"No. Whatever insane, perverted, sick, dangerous plan you two idiots have, I want no part of it."

Booster got on his knees,

"Please? Pretty please? We just want to borrow that camera that can see through walls."

Simon blinked,

"You can't be serious."

Guy grinned,

"Yep, we are!"

He noticed a device on the counter and snatched it,

"Yoink!"  
The two then dashed madly out of the room, cackling.

Wonder Man looked at his friend,

"You're not going to go after them?"

Blue Beetle shook his head,

"I've tried to reason with them. Besides, when they get caught, I'm pretty sure the girls are going to film everything for blackmail purposes."

He added,

"Besides, who's ever going to believe them they got beaten up by a bunch of girls?"

Wonder Man started to sweat nervously,

"And I thought Farrah was devious."

Next Chapter:

Tigra's sleepover at the Mansion begins! Let gossiping, truth or dare, and other insane antics begin!


	20. Chapter 20

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Bast, and Selene. _

Chapter 20: Justice Girls Part 2 

Tigra, in her tiger-stripped jammies, had just got out all the sleeping bags. She beamed,

"All right, girls; take a sleeping bag."

The women that the tigress invited over were Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, Miss Martian, Selene, Black Canary, Cheetah, Persiana, Vixen, Gypsy, Miss Marvel, Zatanna, Starfire, Raven, Ravager, Bast, Fire, Ice, Mary Marvel, and Hawkgirl. All of said women were now sitting in the living room at the mansion. Wonder Girl and Selene asked nicely for all the other men to leave. Connor Hawke and the new recruit, Captain Marvel Junior, left without a fuss, but it did take a little coercion, and a threat of castration, to have Superboy and Red Star leave as well. Furniture had been moved out of the way, and the large space was now filled with women sitting or lying down on their sleeping bags.

Mary Marvel came in with several cases of soda and snacks, and some proceeded to chow down. Selene, dressed in a simple white nightgown, blinked,

"So, what happens at one of these sleepovers?"

Tigra grinned,

"Easy. We talk, gossip, and have a good time, without any guys around."

The brunette swordswoman had a predatory look in her eyes,

"I like this party already."

Vixen, dressed in a white over shirt and black panties, sighed,

"This would be so much better if Simon were with me."

Gypsy, dressed in purple pajamas scoffed,

"As if. Simon would be SO much better with me!"

Zatanna, dressed in black pajamas, shouted,

"You're both wrong!"

Before a cat-fight could break out, Tigra ordered,

"Hey! For one night, can the three of you not fight over Wonder Man?"

The three female League members glared at each other and slinked off.

Diana, dressed in a white satin robe, shook her head,

"I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting sleep-over."

Farrah, dressed in a red robe, laughed,

"You have no idea."

Greer beamed,

"You see; you're having fun already."

Raven looked at the were-tigress,

"I see. You invited us all here to cheer Farrah up."

Tigra rubbed the back of her head, sheepishly responding,

"I kinda gave it away, didn't I?"

Maxima asked,

"So, what should we do first?"

Fire, dressed in flashy green nightwear, grinned,

"Let's talk about our boyfriends. Oh, the things I can tell you about Flash…"

**Meanwhile… **

Guy Gardner and Booster Gold, along with Flash, Ollie, Superboy, and Red Star were in the floor above the living room. Superboy was using his X-ray vision and superhuman hearing to get the inside scoop, while the others were trying to figure out the device Guy had taken from Blue Beetle's lab.

Booster groaned,

"You moron; you should've stolen the instructions for this thing."

Flash shook his head,

"Why bother? We've got Connor watching them. He can tell us everything."

Not even trying to tamper with the device, the others looked at Connor as he looked to see what was going on.

**Back to the girls… **

Tigra howled,

"No way! Ollie's got a kid?"

Black Canary, dressed in yellow sleep wear, had folded her arms and snarled,

"The very least that skirt chaser could have told me he had gotten someone knocked up. Still, Connor is a nice kid."

She smirked,

"Fantastic martial artist."

Farrah smirked,

"You wouldn't know he takes after Ollie. He's so nice and kind to everyone. Plus, he's single."

Ravager, dressed in orange and black bra and panties, shook her head,

"Probably, but Bart's kind of grown on me."

Starfire, dressed in a purple bra and panties, blinked,

"I do not know about you, but Nightwing is the only man for me."

Farrah smiled hungrily,

"The acrobatic types are always the best. I've seen him; He's definitely a keeper."

The alien princess nodded,

"Yes, he is."

Ice said,

"Guy's all right for me."

At this, the others all blinked at her. Miss Marvel shook her head,

"Now, I've got to ask this, and I think I speak for everyone when I say; why?"

The ice-maker shrugged,

"He's a kind man deep down."

Hawkgirl folded her arms,

"Do you want us to run down a list of the things he's done since he came onboard the Justice League? I'm carrying a child and he has the nerve to make fat jokes about me!"  
Cheetah nodded,

"Yeah, Ice. I don't know how you can stand that jackass."

Ice blushed hotly, shaking her head,

"Look, you may not like him, but I do. I think he can be a sweetie if you give him a chance."

Farrah smirked,

"Nothing personal, but Gardner should have been dead a long time ago. He must have nine lives or something."

Tigra added,

"More like nine hundred lives."

Tora just sat down, but said firmly,

"I stand by him."

Fire shook her head,

"Flash is all right for me."

Miss Martian added,

"So is Superboy. Just because some of our boyfriends have hormonal flaws does not make them bad people."

Wonder Girl added,

"Besides, there are certain women in this room that have a difficult time controlling themselves."

Immediately, every eye in the room went to one of the four were-cats. Cheetah, Bast, Tigra, and Persiana all shook their heads, responding,

"Who, me? No way!"

Bast folded her arms,

"For your information, cats are creatures of desire, lust, and fertility. We can't help ourselves if we're nature's sex addicts."

Cheetah nodded,

"Yeah, I mean, we represent a whole new side of being a woman."

Diana raised an eyebrow,

"Excuse me?"

Farrah nodded,

"Yep. Diana, you represent one extreme of woman hood, while us were-cats represent the dynamic opposite."

Miss Marvel grumbled,

"You definitely represent something, all right."

Persiana snarled,

"What was that?"

Tigra held her friend back,

"Easy, sis. She doesn't mean that."

Carol looked back,

"Let me tell you something, Farrah; and I hope this sinks into your hormonal head of yours. You are shameless, always have been, always will be. You were shameless when you joined the Avengers, and you're shameless now. So, do us all a favor and learn some modesty. I mean, sure, Diana's no prize herself-."

Wonder Woman looked at her,

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The blonde Air Force major looked at older princess with a deadpan expression,

"Have you noticed your costume lately? You look like a biker's hooker girlfriend."

Diana, at this, slapped Carol across the face. Donna winced,

"And, here I thought this was just going to be a simple get together."

Next Chapter:

The sleep over continues with Truth or Dare! Stay tuned for that!


	21. Chapter 21

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Selene, and Bast. _

Chapter 21: Justice Girls Part 3 

**In the room above… **

The eavesdropping guys could not believe what Superboy was relaying back to them. Booster shook his head,

"I don't know how you did it, getting Fire like that."

Red Star nodded in agreement,

"Da, Booster. Still, this is some pretty heavy stuff."

Guy grinned,

"If only we could record all of this."  
**Downstairs…**

After some squabbles about the true meaning of woman hood, some more dark secrets about some of the girls and their respective boyfriends, and the insults hurled back and forth between Miss Marvel and Persiana, Tigra finally announced,

"All right; now to one of the best parts of an all-girl sleep over; Truth or Dare!"

At this, all the other girls, except for the Amazons and Miss Martian, cheered. Miss Martian asked,

"What is Truth or Dare?"

Donna explained,

"If I recall correctly, one of us is given the option to tell the truth to a question that is asked, or one is challenged to complete a dare set forth by the one asking the question."

Greer smiled,

"You got it, Donna. Now, who wants to go first?"

Zatanna shook her head,

"Now, wait a minute. Shouldn't we set some ground rules?"

Cheetah asked,

"Like what?"

"Like, we don't cause needless property destruction, or kiss other girls' boyfriends, or anything that would cause us to lose our dignity."

Farrah shrugged,

"I have none, so how does that affect me?"

Zatanna added,

"And, we can't hurt each other in this, too."

Farrah asked,

"Does this mean dunking Barbie in pig's blood is out of the question?"

Carol groaned,

"Immature, as usual."

Cheetah looked at her leonine friend,

"You really must hate Miss Marvel a lot, don't you?"

Persiana folded her arms,

"Yes, I do…because she tried to steal my boyfriend!"

Tigra moaned,

"Please, let's not start this again. Let's just play the game, all right?"

The two arch-nemeses glared at each other before settling back down.

Gypsy asked,

"Maybe we should draw straws to see who goes first?"

Mary Marvel shook her head,

"I know. I saw Wonder Woman should go first."

Diana was surprised,

"Me?"

The brunette powerhouse nodded,

"Yep. You are the ranking member of the Justice League, right?"

Hawkgirl growled,

"What am I; chopped liver?"

Farrah drooled and dreamily smiled,

"Mmm; chopped liver."

The Amazing Amazon sighed,

"Fine."

She scanned the room before looking right at Vixen. The mystically powered heroine gulped as Diana said,

"Vixen; Truth or Dare?"

The African-American model shifted uncomfortably before saying,

"Truth."

Diana asked,

"Besides Simon, do you have feelings for any other person in the Justice League?"

Vixen noticed the heated stare Shayera was giving her. However, she shrugged it off,

"I mean, I've been interested in John, but I've always kind of had a thing for Vigilante."

Hawkgirl was surprised,

"Vigilante? Why?"

Vixen shrugged,

"Well, he is a stunt rider, and I like a guy with a lot of excitement."

Gypsy sneered,

"Why not go after him and leave Simon with a real woman, like me?"

Zatanna hissed,

"Like you deserve him! Simon's mine!"  
Then, they all noticed Tigra's heated glare and backed off.

Vixen smirked,

"All right, my turn. Persiana; Truth or Dare?"

The feral heroine grinned,

"Dare me."

Vixen said,

"Here's what I want you to do…"

**Two minutes later, aboard the Watchtower… **

J'onn J'onzz was in the Watchtower control center, monitoring transmissions. It was a tedious job, but one he did not seem to mind. He continued to stare at the monitors, processing all the information he could.

Thanks to Zatanna's magic, Farrah was teleported aboard and said,

"Oh, J'onn."

The Martian Manhunter turned around and his jaw dropped open. Farrah was holding the biggest cookie the alien had ever seen in his life. The lioness said,

"You want this, J'onn? Do ya?"

The Martian changed into the blue furred Cookie Monster and charged,

"!"

He dove for the cookie and began eating it. Persiana pulled out a camera and watched as the cookie was devoured in seconds. Then, she teleported away.

When she returned, she was cackling maniacally and showing the footage. The girls were screaming with laughter. Vixen held her sides,

"Oh, that was too perfect!"

Farrah took deep breaths before she could control herself,

"How did you know that was going to happen?"

Vixen shrugged,

"I didn't, but it was funny nonetheless."

The white-haired heroine smiled,

"All right; my turn. Cheetah; Truth or Dare?"

Cheetah shrugged,

"Truth, I suppose."

Farrah beamed,

"What's it like, living with Wonder Woman?"  
Barbara grinned,

"It's been great!"

Wonder Woman scowled,

"Excuse me? You're just as insane as Persiana was."

Cheetah looked hurt,

"Oh, come on, princess. Remember last week when I made brownies…"

**Flashback… **

Diana entered her apartment after a rough day of battling super villains. She just wanted to lie down and rest. However, as she entered, a fragrant aroma of chocolate greeted her. The door swung open and the princess looked on in horror. Her kitchen was a mess; chocolate syrup was every where, the batter was even dripping from the ceiling. And, in the center of it all, there was a huge mountain of brownies stacked to the ceiling. The spotted feline, covered in chocolate batter, grinned sheepishly,

"Uh, hi, princess. I made brownies."

**End Flashback… **

Diana folded her arms,

"Do you have any idea how long it took me to clean up?"

Cheetah whined,

"I helped!"

Maxima looked at the spotted were-cat,

"I don't even want to know how you made such a big mess. And here, I thought cats were clean."

Barbara shook her head,

"Whatever. My turn."

She looked at Donna;

"Ok, Wonder Girl; Truth or Dare?"

Wonder Girl said,

"Truth."

"What's it like kissing Farrah?"

Farrah covered her face with her hands,

"I knew this was coming up. I just knew it."

Donna blushed hotly,

"Well, to be truthful on the matter…Farrah is the best kisser I have ever met."

A chorus of woos and cat-calls filled the room. Miss Marvel smirked,

"Why, Farrah, I had no idea you played for both teams."

Persiana growled,

"Keep it up, Barbie, and I'll make sure you play for the losing team every time."

Selene pouted,

"But, what about me, sister?"

Donna looked a bit apologetic as she said,

"Nothing against you, Selene. It is just…Farrah has something magical about her when she uses her lips."

Farrah sighed,

"Do you have any idea how embarrassing this all is to me? I mean, I've got nothing against it, but I just don't play for that team, no matter what."

Donna shook her head,

"Pity. I am sure many women on Themysciria would enjoy your company, dearest sister."

Farrah's eyes widened at that. She swallowed nervously,

"Just how many other Amazons know about our little kiss?"

Wonder Girl answered simply,

"All of them. "

The feline heroine cried out loud and huddled into a ball. Selene smirked,

"I think you broke her."

Miss Marvel said out loud,

"Someone, get the camera!"

Next Chapter:

More Truth and Dare, and will the guys get caught? Stay tuned!


	22. Chapter 22

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Selene, and Bast. _

Chapter 22: Justice Girls Part 4 

The girls were howling with laughter as Mary Marvel returned. She had chosen a dare and Farrah brought out a pair of red silk bra and panties. The dare was Mary had to find Captain Marvel and tell him this was the ensemble she was going to wear when she and CM3, Captain Marvel Junior, had decided to take the next step in their relationship. Naturally, Captain Marvel fainted and will probably cause CM3 a lot of undue pain when he recovered.

Mary's face was bright red, like a tomato. She changed back to her pajamas and bunny slippers and groaned,

"He is never going to let me hear the end of it."

Persiana laughed,

"Oh, come on, Mary. Live a little. It wasn't as bad as Fire and her fantasy involving Superman and chocolate sauce."

Miss Marvel shook her head,

"I may never eat ice cream again after that."

Tigra giggled,

"What about Raven's fantasy?"

The empathic Teen Titan glowered,

"Don't even think of mentioning this to Beast Boy. I will promise extreme pain if you do."

Bast laughed,

"What about Tigra's dare?"

Diana rolled her eyes,

"I don't know how you've managed yourself up to this point, keeping every man from having their way with you."

The tigress grinned,

"Easy, princess. Most guys, no matter how hot they think it is, would never want to get on my bad side. I have natural weapons."

She flashed her fangs and claws. The older Amazon princess shook her head,

"Never mind."

Bast waved off,

"You shouldn't worry yourself about us felines, princess. It's so extremely fun to toy with prey before devouring it. It makes it taste so much…sweeter."

Selene rubbed her hands,

"Now, who is the next person that wishes to be dared?"

Wonder Girl looked around the room,

"I think we all went around the room at least once."

The brunette swordswoman sighed,

"We did?"

Bast said,

"I do not think Diana was asked if she would like the truth or dare."

All the women looked at Diana. Wonder Woman shifted uncomfortably. Farrah smirked,

"All right, Diana. What'll it be; truth or dare?"

Wonder Woman sipped some soda and thought for a moment. She then said,

"Dare."

At this, all the other women gathered around away from the Amazing Amazon. Diana got nervous as to what the women were planning.

As the women were talking, Miss Martian had a very odd feeling. For some reason, she could hear her boyfriend Connor's thought broadcasts. She looked up to the ceiling, as if trying to look past it. Tigra noticed this and asked,

"Something wrong, Meg?"

M'gan shook her head,

"I am unsure. I feel as though Connor is watching us."

**Upstairs…**  
Connor and the others were starting to sweat. They may have been found out. Guy whispered harshly,

"We're dead, man. Totally dead."

Booster shook his head,

"Let's teleport out of here."

He took a step back, accidentally hitting the device that they had left on the floor. Instantly, it turned on, sending one million decibels of white noise to the floor. The floor gave way, and everyone covered their ears to shield them from the noise. Luckily, the noise only lasted a few seconds and went back to being inert.

Superboy, Red Star, Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, Ollie, and Flash were now sprawled out in the middle of the floor, holding their heads. The Russian teen hero groaned,

"Stupid American idiots! We were watching them and you had to blow it!"

Ollie spat,

"Shut up! We wouldn't have had this problem if Guy had stolen the X-ray camera in the first place!"

Guy, holding his arm, growled,

"Hey! How was I supposed to know where it was? Blue Beetle was working on something so I took it from the lab!"

Flash looked up,

"Uh, guys. There's a LOT of angry women looking at us."

Every one of the eavesdroppers noticed the heated, angry stares of the girls. Booster chuckled nervously,

"Uh, hi, ladies. Sorry we dropped in like this."

He was then grabbed by Wonder Woman and he panicked,

"Please don't kill me! It was Flash's idea!"

Wally snarled,

"Liar! You and Guy told me about it!"

Guy retorted,

"Only after Superboy and Green Arrow told me!"

Tigra shouted,

"ENOUGH!"

At this, silence filled the room. The tigress grabbed Flash and threw him into Bea, shouting,

"I don't even care what they do to you! You ruined everything!"

She stormed out of the room, closing her robe as she did.

Farrah watched as her 'sister' left. Greer was hurt and angry about what happened. The lioness then turned to the eavesdroppers, growling,

"You know, we should all just beat you to within an inch of your life, take your clothes, and throw you in a gutter somewhere…"

The eavesdroppers winced at that. Farrah continued,

"But, we're not going to."

Black Canary, who was ready to punch out Ollie, asked,

"We're not?"

The white-haired heroine shook her head,

"No. I have something infinitely worse in mind."

She whispered something to Zatanna. The magician instantly grimaced, then grinned,

"That is evil. That is completely, without a doubt, 100% evil."

Zatanna raised her hands,

"I like it!"

She began chanting a magic spell. The eavesdroppers were all mortified at the spell that was being cast on them.

**Ten minutes later, aboard the Watchtower… **

Blue Beetle and Wonder Man had created a tracker to try and track down the missing white noise disk. The insect inventor shook his head,

"I can't believe those idiots decided to make off with one of my devices. I hope they haven't done anything stupid or gotten into trouble."

Just then, there was a gaggle of girlish laughter coming from the hallway. Ted, not even looking up, smirked,

"I guess it's one of the girls trying another stupid dare again."

Simon looked outside to see what was going on. However, the sight that greeted him was the last thing he ever expected,

"Ted, you have to come and see this."

The cerulean insect hero walked out of the lab and blinked at what his friend was looking at.

Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, Flash, Ollie, Superboy, and Red Star, or, at least what they would look like as girls, were giggling madly and gossiping. The female Red Star laughed,

"We have to have a 'Twilight' night!"

The female Guy Gardner nodded,

"We SO totally have to. And, we should have a 'Twilight' book club!"

Zatanna appeared in a puff of smoke behind Simon,

"Like it?"  
Ted nodded in understanding,

"They interrupted Tigra's sleepover, didn't they?"

The magician nodded,

"Yeah, Greer's taking it hard. But, don't worry…"

She pulled out a video camera,

"I am so taping this for her. Oh, the black-mail potential with this!"

Simon shook her head,

"I think I'll go back into the lab now."

Blue Beetle nodded,

"I think I'll join you."

**Meanwhile… **

Tigra, having teleported up to the Watchtower, was curled on the bed, crying. She had tried to do something nice for her friend and student, and it was ruined on account of certain perverted super-heroes. The tigress did not want to talk to Ted about what was going on; she would much rather be alone.

"Greer?"

The striped Avenger turned and was surprised to hear Farrah's voice on the other side of the door. The lioness asked,

"Greer, can I come in and talk to you?"

Tigra thought for a moment before answering,

"Come in."  
The door hissed open and Persiana, dressed in her costume, walked in. She waited until the door closed and asked,

"Greer, are you all right?"

The former detective shook her head,

"No, I'm not. I try to do something special for my best friend and some idiots decide to ruin it."

Farrah came near her mentor,

"Sis, you can't blame those perverts for this. We were all having a great time. In fact, I made a suggestion to Zee about their punishment and she's taping it for us to watch later. And, the best part, those pervs aren't going to remember this until we show them the tape!"

She began laughing, and could see a hint of a smile on Tigra's face. The tigress began laughing; picturing all those perverts acting like teenage girls. The look was too priceless. She then looked to her student,

"Thanks, I needed that."

Greer then hugged her friend,

"You always knew how to turn a bad situation into a good one."

Farrah chuckled,

"No, really?"

Tigra then got an idea. She whispered huskily,

"You were always able to make me feel this way, Farrah. You always could make me laugh with that cute smile of yours. I almost forget what a cute butt you have."

Persiana stopped laughing and blinked,

"What?"

Tigra tilted her head and purred,

"What? Did you ever stop to think how you and I were able to get along so well?"

She enjoyed watching Farrah's face drop in shock. The white-haired heroine stammered,

"Ah…I…ah…I…"

Greer smiled seductively,

"I mean, I wouldn't want to take you away from your boyfriend. Just a few hot hours in the sack, that's all."

Farrah immediately backed away,

"Uh, how long have you felt this way about me?"

She was pinned in the corner and Tigra whispered in her ear,

"Relax, I don't swing that way. I just wanted to see your reaction."

At this, Farrah growled,

"That was cheap!"

Tigra scampered away,

"Toodles!"

She bolted. Farrah muttered to herself,

"I'm glad she hadn't taped that. I don't think I could ever live that down."

Next Chapter:

Let's check back with Cyborg Superman and his attempts to create a Manhunter army!


	23. Chapter 23

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos. _

Chapter 23: Gathering Forces 

Cyborg Superman, in his new body, was flying fast across the vast starry cosmos. Thanks to the robotic Manhunter head, Henshaw had downloaded the signal he needed to find the scattered Manhunter cells. Although his power reserves were weak, the thought of revenge against Superman was all the fuel the Cyborg Superman could ever need.

He did not have far to travel, as the Manhunter signal grew stronger as he approached what appeared to be an abandoned spacecraft. The spacecraft looked like a typical flying saucer, except it was adrift in space. The ship looked to be badly damaged, no doubt from a battle that had lasted quite a while. Cyborg Superman ran a scan of the ship, attempting to find any sort of power source. When he found none, he located a hatch and pried it loose with his tendrils. He then went inside the ship.

The ship was dark, and Cyborg Superman floated quietly across the hallways, using his scanners to find the bridge of the ship. As he floated down the hall, he noticed on both sides of the hall numerous pods containing Manhunter robots in stasis. Some were full repaired; others looked to be badly damaged. From the information received from the abandoned Manhunter head, Cyborg Superman deduced that the Manhunters were undergoing a repair program when the power cut out. The power source may have been damaged or destroyed, leaving the ship afloat. He continued on his way in the darkness to the bridge.

It did not take as long as Henshaw had thought, and, soon, he was standing on the bridge of the Manhunter spacecraft. Several tendrils shot out of both arms and he began interfacing with them in an attempt to understand what happened on board the ship and how to get it started again.

The calculations and programming options were countless, and for an ordinary person to absorb them all would be detrimental to one's mental state. However, Cyborg Superman was absorbing all information on the ship. That was when he came across what he was looking for.

It seemed the Manhunters had formed a collective hive of sorts, all taking orders from a Manhunter robot dubbed 'Grandmaster'. It seems Grandmaster was the supreme robot commander and leader, ordering Manhunter robots to do its bidding. It was the cause of the override of the Manhunters in the first place, and allowed the Manhunters to wreak tremendous havoc all across the galaxy. The current Grandmaster was destroyed by a thriving Green Lantern Corps, led by Hal Jordan and Kilowag. The two Lanterns decimated the Grandmaster and scattered his pieces into various stars, never to be seen again.

Cyborg Superman was disappointed; he would have hoped there could have been something left of the original Grandmaster he could use. Then, an idea occurred to him. In order for the Grandmaster to accomplish what he did, he had to have a specific, coded program in order to reach the Manhunter robots. If Cyborg Superman could find the code and reactivate the Manhunters, they would think he is the Grandmaster and follow his every command. The plot was genius.

He began scanning the archive for the code, or at least a fragment of if. As he did, Henshaw came across something else; the schematics to the ship. According to the logs, the power source was intact. It was just drained of energy. If Cyborg Superman could find something to power the ship, then he would be able to have, at least, this ship's Manhunter force under his control.

Despite being an energy based life form, Henshaw had no idea that, if he used his essence to power the ship, it could destroy him. Or, at the very least, make him a part of the ship. He did not want that. He wanted to look like a robotic Superman so he could face the Man of Steel himself, blame him for ruining his life. He slammed his fists on the console, his anger bubbling to the surface.

As he slammed his fists, the ship mysteriously came on. Henshaw looked around and thought,

_What did I do? _

Several Manhunter robots appeared from the doorway that led to the bridge. The lead one looked at Cyborg Superman and scanned him. Henshaw tensed for a moment, not knowing what to do. The Manhunter finished his scan and said,

"You are Grandmaster."

Cyborg Superman smiled in his head,

_Jackpot! _

He said,

"Why, yes, I am."

The Manhunters then saluted him and shouted,

"All hail the Grandmaster!"

Cyborg Superman thought to himself,

_I must have downloaded part of the code for this ship. They think I am their Grandmaster. What perfect timing. _

What perfect timing indeed. If one were to pay attention, one would notice Mongul heading right for the space craft.

**Outside… **

Mongul had been making a beeline for Earth ever since he acquired the Orange Ring of Avarice. He was about to continue his journey the Yellow Ring said,

"Nearby subjects possess great fear."  
Mongul stopped for a second and noticed the Manhunter spacecraft. He recognized it as the Manhunter ship and an idea suddenly occurred to him. He could use this army to distract and weaken any potential ring bearers so he could have the rings for himself. This was an interesting idea. He could use the yellow ring's power, give it to the Manhunters, and use them to attack Earth. He could always drain them later. Mongul decided to approach.

However, as soon as he did, the defense systems kicked on and opened fire. The ring wielder slammed an emerald and yellow construct of a rocket into the defense battery. The battery was destroyed. Then, conjuring a yellow pair of pliers, Mongul pried open a latch on the space craft and stormed inside.

Manhunter robots began swarming him. Mongul created orange constructs of his own and unleashed them, his own little army of absorbed Orange Lanterns at his disposal. They collided, an all out fight breaking out. The Manhunters were firing everything they had at Mongul.

Cyborg Superman looked at the screen. He shook his head,

"Who is that behemoth of an alien? He wields three colored rings. What could he want here?"

Just then, the Manhunters got beaten back past the bridge. Mongul stepped in and noticed Cyborg Superman standing at the bridge controls. The deposed ruler of Warworld blinked,

"You have seen better days, Superman."

Henshaw snapped,

"I am not Superman, alien! He did this to me!"  
Mongul arched his eye brow,

"Really?"

Henshaw nodded, continuing his rant,

"Yes! I wanted the Manhunters to help me invade the Earth, but you've gone and ruined it!"  
Mongul had an idea, one that was sure to please,

"Suppose I help you gain your revenge against Superman."

At this, Cyborg Superman looked up,

"Are you serious?"

The yellow-skinned ring user nodded,

"Yes. I, too, have issues with the Last Son of Krypton. He overthrew me from my world, and ruined it."

Cyborg Superman clenched his fists,

"That bastard has to be stopped. He's ruined too many lives, including mine. Someone has to make an example out of him."

He radioed into the ship,

"All Manhunters, cease the attack. Mongul and I have a truce."

The deranged scientist looked at the dictator,

"Just how are you going to help me?"

Mongul folded his arms,

"From the looks of this ship, you need a power source to power up the Manhunter androids, correct? Suppose there was a way you could do that."

He used his yellow ring and conjured up a star map,

"The ring told me you and the Manhunters are capable of generating great fear. What if I told you all of you could harness the power of the yellow ring of fear?"

Cyborg Superman nodded,

"Yes. Such a power source, like the Green Lantern battery, would do just that. Tell me, where might I find enough rings?"

Mongul indicated,

"Here. This sector of the star system contains a manufacturing facility for yellow rings. The security should not be a problem, but it will no doubt be heavily guarded."

Cyborg Superman clenched his fists in anger,

"I don't care! As long as Superman pays, I do whatever it takes to have my revenge!"

Mongul grinned evilly,

"Then, it is agreed."

He mentally added,

_You deranged fool. Once Superman is out of the way, there will be no one to stop me from taking all the rings, including the ones you posses, imposter. _

Next Chapter:

After the events of Demons Amongst Us, Diablos' captors are revealed. What do they want with him? Find out next time!


	24. Chapter 24

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Arlington, and Lance/Diablos. _

Chapter 24: Justice or Madness? 

Diablos groaned as he was slapped awake hard. A coarse, female voice ordered,

"Wake up!"

The red-eyed hero blearily looked up and saw a dark-skinned woman in what appeared to be a military uniform. Lance grumbled,

"A little early for Halloween, don't you think?"

This earned him another slap. Another voice, a male one, said,

"That's enough."

This voice Lance recognized. He tried to look around,

"Captian Eiling?"

A large, pale-skinned man with tusks for teeth stepped forward. He must have been eight or nine feet tall, and was incredibly muscular. The behemoth of a man shook his head,

"It's General Eiling, or just General. Hello, Lietuenant."

Lance shifted uncomfortably,

"What the hell is going on here?"

He tried to use his powers to break free, but something was wrong. He could not. The General shook his head,

"We had this area specifically built for you, after what happened in Russia." (1)

The red-eyed hero groaned,

"Thanks for thinking about me."

This earned him a hard slap from the woman that was with him. The General grinned,

"I see you've met with my associate. She doesn't say much. Then again, she's just interested in exterminating you for the crimes you committed as a Nazi."

Lance looked up; one of his eyes was swollen shut. He said,

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

The woman sneered,

"Don't deny it. My grandfather saw you wearing a Nazi uniform."

Diablos shook his head,

"Lady, I don't know what you're talking about-."

He then got shot in the knee. Lance screamed out in pain and fell over in the chair. Eiling, with a smoking hot gun, snickered,

"Now, that was fun."

He said,

"We should give him a little time to work things out, don't you think, my dear?"

The woman spat on Lance's body and stormed out of there. Wade shook his head,

"You know, you had me fooled for a while. But, then again, I never really did like you."

He walked out of the room, hefting a large chain gun on his shoulders. The door slammed shut and left Diablos in a cold, dark room, in pain, alone. Lance muttered to himself,

"Self-righteous son of a bitch. What does he care? He didn't listen to me then, so I won't tell him anything. Still, if I can just send a telepathic message, they can find me."

Suddenly, a little girl's voice echoed in his head,

_Why don't you tell them the truth? _

Lance looked around,

"Who said that?"

For a moment, the red-eyed hero thought he had some company. When he looked, he saw no one. Lance called out,

"Who's there?"

_Don't talk so loud; they could hear you. _

Lance decided to talk in his head,

_Who are you? _

The voice answered,

_My name is Arlington, or, at least, that was the name I have. _

Lance asked,

_Who gave you the name? _

Arlington answered,

_I don't know. It was just a name I found in a book and I liked it. _

Lance telepathically asked,

_What did you mean 'tell the truth'? _

Arlington said,

_Didn't you try and rescue me from that crazy woman? _

It then occurred to Lance,

_You're the dragon from the egg, right? _

Arlington responded,

_Yes. I could sense you wanted to help me. _

This surprised the red-eyed hero. He had never thought a dragon could perceive the outside world so fluidly. He asked,

_Do you know I am a dragon? _

Arlington responded,

_Yes. _

She began to panic,

_They're coming for me. You have to help me! Please! _

Then, silence. Diablos tried calling out,

_Arlington? Arlington! _

He growled,

"Eiling, you son of a bitch. When I get my powers back, I am going to kill you and that bitch you call a government agent."

He struggled as hard as he could, trying to break his restraints. Try as he might, however, he did not have his powers to help him. His only thoughts returned to Arlington. What was Eiling and that woman doing to the girl? The thought of what those two people would do to someone so innocent like Arlington enraged the demonic hero. He continued to fight to break free of his restraints.

Then, something happened. He felt himself getting stronger. He no longer felt any pain and his wounds were starting to heal. Lance's eyes burned brightly and he yelled as loud as he could, breaking the restraints.

**Elsewhere… **

One of the General's minions looked at the monitors and said,

"General, something is wrong!"  
Wade, who had Arlington strapped to a table, looked over,

"What is it?"

"The prisoner's powers are returning!"  
Wade shouted,

"WHAT? His powers have to be negated by the field!"

Suddenly, the lights all went out. Arlington's eyes shot open as she said ominously,

"He heard me call out. You are in such big trouble now!"

Several guards went to check on the prisoner, but the door came off its hinges and flattened them. One of them opened fire, the muzzle flashes only providing split-second illumination. However, the bullets were hitting nothing but air. Then, when the gunman stopped, he was hefted toward the room by an unseen force and a horrifying scream could be heard. More gunmen ran in and tried to help their friend, but their fate was also sealed.

A pair of piercing red eyes glowed in the dark. Diablos glared menacingly at the General, saying,

"Let her go, Eiling. This is your only warning."

The General grinned and pulled out his chain gun,

"I don't think so, freak."

He opened fire at Diablos. Diablos raised a telekinetic barrier, stopping the bullets from going anywhere near him. He then had the bullets all drop on the floor. The red-eyed hero shook his head,

"You really should listen to me sometime, General. I've got a lot to say."

Lightning coursed through his body as Diablos launched it at the General. Wade screamed in shock, dropping his big gun. However, the powerhouse growled,

"This isn't over, soldier!"

He charged the demonic hero and landed a powerful punch on Diablos. Lance went sailing into a wall, the impact shaking the foundation of the place. Lance shook his head as he tried to get up, but General slammed his massive boot down on top of Lance's neck, causing him greater pain. Diablos, his eyes glowing red with fury, slammed a powerful telekinetic attack, sending the General through the ceiling. He then tended to Arlington, who was still strapped to the table.

Arlington looked to be a young, blonde child, with piercing red eyes. She was young, but already had a sense of how things worked. It was Lance's guess she chose a younger persona so no one would think of her as a threat.  
Lance undid the restraints and Arlington sat up,

"Thank you, Diablos."

The red-eyed hero nodded,

"Don't mention it. Any idea on how to get out of here?"

Arlington shook her head,

"One of the men said that we were under the ground. I guess that would explain why they aren't any windows here."

Lance scooped up the little girl,

"Let's get you to safety."

He flew through the hole he made with the General and started flying up.

In a few moments, the two dragon-born people were through another hole. This time, it was part of a hanger somewhere in the desert. Diablos looked around,

"As far as I know, we have to still be in the United States."

"Correct you are, Lieutenant!"  
General had recovered. He found another big gun and opened fire. The two ducked behind a box, Lance creating a shield around himself and Arlington. Arlington said,

"We have to find another way out of here."

The red-eyed hero groaned,

"You have no idea how much I want to do that right now!"

Diablos then saw a box of grenades. He picked up the box and threw it with his telekinesis. General opened fire on it, causing the box to explode. The explosion sent the General into the wall, losing his gun. Diablos said,

"Stay here, Arli."

He jumped over the crates and approached the General.

Wade was groaning as he got up. Suddenly, he found himself restrained to the ground by a telekinetic force. Diablos stood over him, glaring,

"How dare you hurt an innocent girl! What gave you the right to do this?"

Eiling shot back,

"You metahuman freaks think you can run this planet? I may have become the thing I loathe the most, but I will never stop loathing you! You and your race!"

Diablos shook his head,

"Then, I don't regret what I'm about to do to you."

He raised his hand, his eyes glowing fiercely red. Lance launched a telekinetic attack, separating the General at the sub-molecular level, disintegrating him.

Arlington peaked from behind the crates,

"You didn't have a choice, Diablos. He was going to hurt a lot more innocent people."

Diablos nodded,

"I know. It's just…I wish it didn't have to come to this. I've used this attack before on people, but, this time…I just don't know."

Arlington shook her head,

"It's not important. What's important is you're safe."

The red-eyed hero nodded,

"Yeah."

He then smiled,

"How'd you like to meet a few friends of mine?"

Next Chapter:

Diablos introduces Arlington to the Justice League. That's going to be fun.

(1) This happened in Adventures of Titans East


	25. Chapter 25

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Hecate, Arlington, and Lance/Diablos. _

Chapter 25: Take Your Daughter to Work Day 

After showering and changing into fresh clothes, Lance decided to ask Arlington something,

"How long were you born after I found you?"

Arlington, who made a new dress thanks to her powers, shrugged,

"I don't know. It was after the war, though. I fluttered around as a dragon for a little bit until I saw woman who had lost her child. So, I decided to shape-shift into a baby and cried out to her. She took me in and raised me. She eventually figured out I wasn't human when I changed back."

Diablos said,

"You can change at will?"

Arlington nodded and shape-shifted from her human form into that of a tiny dragon with golden-brown scales. Her eyes were still the same red, however. She then changed back, dress and all, smiling,

"See?"

Lance sat down, surprised,

"That's…incredible. You could always do that?"

The blonde girl nodded,

"Yep. Why, can't you change into a dragon?"

The red-eyed hero thought for a moment before answering,

"No, I can't. I never could. My sister Hecate could, but I never figured out how she did it."

Arlington shook her head,

"Maybe you don't want to."

Diablos looked at her,

"What?"

"You're scared. You're afraid you might turn out like your sister. That's why you're a hero. You want to be different from her."

The demonic hero shook his head,

"Are you reading my mind?"

"No, I just read people. You're also worried about what the others might think about your return to the Watchtower."

Lance chuckled,

"That, I can deal with. Just do me one favor, please?"

Arlington asked,

"Is that I don't do this to your friends?"

Lance opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to.

**Onboard the Watchtower… **

Farrah bolted for the transporter,

"He's coming! He's coming!"

Before coming back on board the team, Lance had called Flash in Central City. Flash, naturally, told everyone else, and soon, the tower was buzzing on the demonic hero's return. The white-haired lioness was especially excited; her boyfriend was coming back. She tumbled, flipped, and rolled out of everyone's way to get to the transporter.

Persiana arrived just as the transporter beams finished energizing. The lioness shouted,

"SWEETIE!"

She tackled her boyfriend off the pad and onto the floor. Persiana showered him with kisses,

"You're back! You're back!"

She squeezed him tightly. Lance shouted,

"AIR! I NEED AIR!"  
Several other members of the League had arrived to hear of the new arrival's return. Batman, however, noticed something else,

"Kids aren't allowed on the Watchtower."

Arlington scowled,

"For your information, bub, I'm sixty years old."

Booster blinked,

"Wait, what?"

Tigra's jaw dropped,

"Sixty?"

Miss Marvel scratched her head,

"Kind of young to be sixty. You like you're six."

Lance said,

"Trust me, she is what she says."

He looked down,

"Farrah, could you get off of me?"

Farrah shook her head,

"No! You're back and I'm not letting go again!"

The red-eyed hero ask,

"What if I have to use the bathroom?"

The lioness purred,

"You have me to undo your pants."

Booster grinned,

"Dude, you are so good."

Greer came near her friend,

"Farrah, I know you miss him, but you can't just keep tackling your boyfriend every time you see him."

Blue Beetle walked in,

"What's the commotion?"

He was suddenly pounced on by Tigra and the two rolled on the floor, until Tigra's limbs had contorted themselves in a similar manner Farrah had her boyfriend in. Arlington giggled,

"Kitties are funny."

Booster smiled and knelt down near Arlington,

"Why, hello, little girl. Do you know who I am? I'm Booster Gold, the greatest hero in the world."

Arlington replied sweetly,

"Sorry, mister. I've never heard of you. I only know about Superman!"

Booster was undaunted,

"But, I'm stronger than Superman."

Arlington shook her head,

"No, you're not. You're just a greedy man from the future that wants to be as famous as Superman."

The hero from the future just blinked, while Beetle laughed,

"She's got you there, Mike!"

Arlington only giggled at that.

**Later… **

Arlington and Diablos were sitting in the main conference room with the Big Seven. Superman said,

"You went off on your own and abandoned the team. You even resigned so you could go out and kill someone."

Lance rolled his eyes,

"In my defense, I had no choice. Someone like you can't possibly understand what was at stake."

He looked around,

"In fact, I don't think any of you could truly comprehend what had to be done. Hecate isn't coming back in your lifetime. She'll forever be my problem, not yours."  
The Man of Steel shook his head,

"Surely, there must be a way for the two of you-."

Lightning crackled in the room, as Diablos' eyes flashed red with anger. He snarled,

"What is going to take for you to get it? Hecate can't be reasoned with, and any one that can't be reasoned with either has to be ignored or destroyed!"

He clenched his fist, and then realized what he was doing. He calmed down and said,

"If you don't want me back on the team, fine. I'll just ask Wonder Girl if she wants me back. She is in charge of the team, last I checked."

He walked out of the room. Arlington followed, but she turned and said,

"You know he's right."

She joined him.

The Big Seven had their discussion. Wonder Woman nodded,

"I am forced to agree with Diablos. Hecate brought out a lot horrifying feelings I had after what happened with Audrey."

Flash shook his head,

"Wait a minute. I thought we were supposed to be above killing people. This isn't the Wild West."

John Stewart shook his head,

"I was a soldier, and I was taught to drop your enemy before they drop you. Now, I'm a little more lax in keeping them alive, but some enemies won't stop until they either shoot you or you shoot at them dead."

Hawkgirl nodded,

"I have to agree with John on this one. When Grundy was completely mindless, I had to kill him."

Superman said,

"But, Grundy was a zombie, so technically it wasn't killing him."

J'onn stayed silent on the issue. He could tell what the others were thinking and knew that a vote would soon come.

Batman simply said,

"No. He's not coming back."

The Martian Mahunter said,

"I was a soldier who fought against the White Martians. They were clearly barbaric and savage, nearly wiping out my race. Seeing how humans have thrived on war, yet, seeing their compassion for one another, gives me hope that humans can one day overcome the need for violence. My vote is no."

Flash buzzed to the door,

"Lance, we're ready for-."

Too late, as Arlington and Diablos both seemed to disappear.

**At Titans East Mansion… **

The usual meet and greet was made, and Wonder Girl, the new Titans East leader, said,

"You're part of our family, Lance. Even though the League has not taken you in, there is always going to be a place for you with us."

Lance smirked,

"Thanks."

He looked around,

"Has anyone seen Arlington?"

Red Star shouted,

"HHEELP! GET HER AWAY FROM ME!"  
The Russian powerhouse was running through the hall ways, being chased by the little winged dragon Arlington. Arlington had little pink hearts floating around her.

Superboy smirked,

"Looks like Red's finally got a girlfriend."

Next Chapter:

The murder of a former villainess causes Persiana to question her instincts as she, Wonder Woman, Tigra, and Mary Marvel hunt for the killer. Find out more, next time!


	26. Chapter 26

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos. _

Chapter 26: The Hunt Part 1 

**Outside Boston, MA… **

On the coastline of a small suburb, just outside the edge of town, there is an old manor that has seen better days. Inside the once glorious manor lives an elderly woman who used to live in the glory days of her youth as a wanted criminal. Her name is Priscilla Rich, the first woman to be called the Cheetah. Unlike others who have taken the mantle of the cat, Priscilla was never a were-cat, although she was once as nimble as one in her prime. She was fully human, who had experienced a split-personality, allowing a hateful, angry doppelganger to take her mind and become the feline villainess the Cheetah. Eventually, Priscilla beat her other persona and reformed.  
Originally, she condemned Barbara Minerva, the second Cheetah. However, after seeing the archeologist reform and living with Wonder Woman, Priscilla felt happy. She finally felt that the Cheetah can be used for good, rather than the stigmata of being evil.

The elder Rich looked around as she sat in her easy chair. She sighed, looking on at the many movie posters, remembering days gone by. Now, an old woman, all she had to look forward to was the end of her life. It was a pity, however, that her life had ended in anything but a natural way.

Priscilla had fallen asleep in her chair when something crashed through her window. Priscilla awoke and sat up. She looked around and called out in the darkness,

"Who's there?"

An audible growl was heard and Priscilla noticed, for a brief second, noticed the flicker of a spotted tail, followed by the outline of a lithe, limber woman. Priscilla stiffened,

"I thought you changed."

The other female voice purred,

"You can't fight nature, Ms. Rich."

Priscilla narrowed her eyes,

"Wait, you're not-."

Too late, as an audible roar disturbed the quiet of the room. Whoever the female assailant was, she had just snapped Priscilla's neck. She looked down and noticed a cut on the elderly woman's forehead. She leaned close and sampled the blood with her tongue. The unknown assailant grinned,

"Such a sweet taste. Such an intoxicating aroma…"

Her eyes flashed green,

"I should hunt more often."

Quickly, she dashed out into the night, on the prowl for more prey.

It was not until the next morning that her body was discovered by the gardener and caretaker of the property. After near fainting and throwing up at the sight of the mangled corpse, he called the police.

**Meanwhile… **

Persiana was a bit upset about the League's decision not to bring Diablos back on. She wanted to speak with Wonder Woman, who advocated for his reinstatement. Farrah thought to herself,

_It's not fair. I mean, yeah, he tried to do something he wasn't supposed to, but what's the big deal? I've gotten away with a lot worse. _

Diana entered the cafeteria and noticed her friend sitting alone. Normally, the lioness would have been laughing it up with some of her teammates, or scaring Hawk out of his wits. However, the sobering look on her face said it all. The princess sat down and asked,

"Sister, is something the matter?"

Farrah nodded,

"Yeah, there is."

She looked at her friend,

"Why didn't the League let him on back on? Donna's let him back on the Titans."

Diana shook her head,

"I cannot speak for what Donna does. If she feels as though she could use him; that is her decision. From what the others said, some wanted him back, others did not. In the end-."

Just then, there was a radio transmission for Wonder Woman. It was from Batman,

"Wonder Woman, you had better come down here. And, bring Persiana with you."

The two heroines looked at each other. This was something serious if Batman had to be calling in.

**A few minutes later… **

The two heroines met up with Batman at the home of the late Priscilla Rich. The World's Greatest Detective was surveying the crime scene, looking for clues. Diana asked,

"Batman, what is it?"

Farrah immediately tensed as she sniffed the air,

"It was a metahuman attack, wasn't it?"

Batman examined a stray hair left at the scene. He encapsulated it and said,

"I'll be in the lab."

He looked at Persiana with a stern gaze and left as quickly as he arrived. Persiana shook her head,

"You'd think you'd get used to it by now."

She turned to the Amazon warrior,

"How long has it been since you banged him?"

Diana sighed angrily,

"Let us continue our search."

Persiana shrugged and sniffed the air. In a few moments, her eyes narrowed and she could detect the scent trail,

"Whoever killed her, entered through here."

She pointed to a window that was slightly ajar. Farrah tilted her head,

"Whoever broke in, obviously has some incredible flexibility."

Wonder Woman asked,

"Could such a person squeeze through an opening?"

Farrah nodded,

"It's do-able, but you'd have to be very limber to do it. Me and Tigra could do it, so can Cheetah-."

She suddenly stopped,

"That's the hair Bats took. It's cheetah hair."

Farrah looked at Diana,

"No way. Barbara, kill someone like this?"

Diana shook her head,

"I know you do not wish to believe it, sister, but Cheetah has killed before."

Farrah growled,

"Don't you trust her? After all she's done to try and reform, you're willing to just toss that aside because of this?"

Diana went near her friend,

"Sister, I-."

Persiana bolted out of the house, running on all fours as fast as she could. She did not want to hear, or even admit, the remote possibility that a friend of hers, one that she helped reform, would reduce themselves to this, to a complete lack of depravity of human life.

**Later… **

Diana was aboard the Watchtower, talking with Tigra and Blue Beetle. The former Avenger had heard everything about what happened at the house. She shook her head,

"Don't beat yourself up, princess. I know what you're going through."

Betrayal was an especially sore subject for Persiana, and Greer knew all too well the pain it can cause. Ted asked,

"So, do you have any idea where's she's gone?"

Greer sipped some soda,

"Probably to blow off steam. She does that sometimes when she gets angry. She's probably high flying all over Boston to think about things."

The insect inventor looked at his girlfriend,

"For being her big sister, you sure don't act like you're worried."

Tigra looked at her boyfriend,

"Trust me, I am. It's just…I haven't know Cheetah in this world in a long time, but, I can't shake the feeling this is bigger."

Wonder Woman asked,

"What do you mean?"

"Well, from what I understand, there have been three people who've called themselves Cheetah. Priscilla Rich was murdered last night, then there's Barbara Minvera, the second Cheetah, and the third one, the male one."

Beetle asked,

"Are you saying someone could have targeted Rich because she wants to be the only Cheetah left?"

Tigra nodded,

"Could be."

Diana shook her head,

"But, why?"

Greer shook her head,

"I don't know."

**In Diana's apartment… **

Persiana arrived at Wonder Woman's apartment. Slightly winded from her trek from the coast, the lioness rested on the couch. She needed to talk to Barbara about what was going on. Farrah had to tell her what other people were thinking about her.

Cheetah walked in, grinning and laughing. She chuckled to herself,

"Now, that was funny. Honestly, who comes up with such funny stuff?"

She looked and smirked,

"Hey, Farrah. I'm surprised you're here."

Farrah stood up, nervously explaining,

"Barbara, listen to me. Something happened last night just outside of town. Priscilla Rich was murdered."

Barbara was surprised,

"Wait, the original Cheetah?"

Farrah nodded, continuing,

"Batman found something at the scene. It was cheetah hair."

She held her friend's shoulder,

"Barbara, did you have anything to do with what happened?"

Barbara looked at her feline friend. Her happy expression changed to outrage,

"How dare you!"

She slapped Farrah hard,

"You honestly think I had something to do with that woman's death? You saw some good in me! You said I was a good person deep down!"

Farrah held her cheek,

"Babs, listen-."

The reformed villainess hissed and stormed off. Farrah called out,

"Wait!"

**In a nearby park… **

Cheetah had often come to the park to relax, and relish in her feline form. She perched in a tree and simply observed the world on her branch. She shook her head,

_I had nothing to do with this. Is that what everyone in the League is thinking? Is that what my supposed friend, who had faith in me, thinks? _

Just then, there was a rustle in the bush below. Cheetah growled,

"Farrah, I'm not in the mood to talk to you right now."

A voice answered back,

"You must have me mistaken for someone else."

At this, Barbara tensed. She sniffed and leapt off the branch. As soon as he landed on all fours, something grabbed her leg and pulled her into the brush.

The loud, feral roars drew Persiana's attention. She called out,

"Barbara, are you all right?"

She then saw a figure come out of the brush, and Persiana could not believe who it was. She covered her mouth, shaking her head,

"YOU!"

Next Chapter:

Just who did Persiana see? And, will she be able to hold her off long enough for the other League members to arrive? Stay tuned!


	27. Chapter 27

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Eve Willows, Bast, and Lance/Diablos. _

Chapter 27: The Hunt Part 2 

Farrah looked on in horror and shock as she stared back at someone she was sure had died.

Her mother, Dr. Eve Willows.

Of course, it was readily apparent that Eve had undergone a radical change in her physiology. She looked every bit like a were-cheetah, complete with golden fur and black spots, a sleek, muscular frame, and a bloodthirsty, savage demeanor.

Eve had Barbara Minerva's body in her clutches, and she purred sadistically at her daughter,

"Poor, poor Dr. Minerva. She obviously had no idea the power she possessed, her true potential unrealized."

She threw the body aside and stretched out, never taking her eyes off her Farrah,

"This feels so wonderful. Now, I'm the only Cheetah left. That makes me the supreme cat amongst them all."

Persiana shook her head,

"You were shot in the head. How are you still alive?"

Eve nodded,

"I suppose an explanation is deserved, even if it is before I kill you."

She began explaining,

"As I was in death, I found a rather handsome young man speaking to me and how he would offer me a chance at a second life, if I offered my soul. His name is Neron, and he said that, if I offer my soul to him, I can not only obtain the power of a cat, but also the power needed to defeat you. So, naturally, I agreed."

Farrah was mortified,

"You sold your soul for this?"

Eve grinned evilly,

"Oh, it goes so much more than being feline. Here, let me show you…"

She took a big breath and exhaled, launching a fireball at her daughter. Persiana jumped, nearly avoiding it. The fireball sailed into a tree and exploded. The lioness landed on all fours and looked behind her, stunned. She shook her head,

"You can breathe fire?"

Eve grinned,

"Quite the hellcat, aren't I? Of course, that's not the only thing…"

She disappeared in a blur. Persiana blinked, trying to see where she was.

Suddenly, the lioness could feel limbs contort around her neck and claws embedding her spine. Eve grinned,

"As the new Cheetah, I also have true cheetah speed."

She landed on one foot and threw her daughter into another tree. Farrah somersaulted as best she could and landed on the trunk as if it were solid ground. She then saw her mother at the base and launched herself in the air. Eve shook her head,

"You're only making this harder for yourself."

She launched another fireball at the white-haired acrobat. Persiana barely somersaulted out of the way. She needed help and she needed it badly. Persiana telepathically called out,

_J'onn, I need help! _

**Aboard the Watchtower… **

Bast was walking along the Watchtower when suddenly, she was bombarded with a massive headache. She clutched her head and moaned,

"No! What has happened?"

A blonde man with red eyes smiled,

"Hello, Bast."

Bast snarled,

"Neron, you bastard! What are you doing here?"

Neron tutted,

"Oh, come on. Can't a purveyor of souls visit once in a while?"

The goddess of felines hissed,

"Give me one good reason my scimitar doesn't slice you in half."

Neron smiled evilly,

"Because, we both know it's a waste of time. Besides, you are needed elsewhere."

He disappeared as quickly as he appeared. Bast shook her head,

"You will rot for this, monster."

J'onn telepathically called out,

_Bast, is something the matter? _

Bast answered,

"No, it is nothing. Persiana is in trouble, and I am going to help her."

There was a pause before the Martian telepath said telepathically,

_I am sending several more to assist you. _

**Back in the park… **

Persiana ducked another fireball. Eve Willows disappeared in a blur, trying to tackle her daughter. She then appeared behind and put Farrah in a sleeper hold, embedding her claws deep into her daughter's chest. Persiana screamed and desperately tried to fight her way out and break the hold, but Eve was stronger. Selling her soul must have also given her enhanced strength, too.

Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Mary Marvel all arrived on the scene. The archer shouted,

"Close your eyes, kitty!"  
Farrah saw the arrow and shut her eyes tight. The blinding flash caused Eve to shriek in pain,

"My eyes! I can't see!"

Canary grinned evilly,

"Now, you can't hear, too!"

She unleashed a Canary Cry, sending the hellish cat into a wall. Eve moaned and covered her ears, even though they were bleeding. Persiana growled,

"You got all the strengths of a feline, Mom. But, you forgot one thing; cat's senses are extremely sensitive. Bright flashes and loud noises set them off."

Eve hissed, recovering her sight. She snarled,

"I'll gut you for this!"

She charged, but Mary Marvel sped and delivered a strong punch, sending the were-cat across the park. She shook her head,

"You're not being nice."

Eve somersaulted and landed on all fours, digging in. She roared and launched a fireball at Mary Marvel. The female powerhouse dodged it with super-speed and tried to get in close. Eve Willows sped away, and the two began a chase across the park, destroying trees, benches, and trash cans.

Bast teleported to the scene and noticed the destruction. She unsheathed her scimitar and shook her head,

"How dare Neron do this! How dare he desecrate the true meaning of feline!"

She roared like an animal and, taking on the form of a were-cheetah, she sped after Eve and Mary.

Eve stopped and unleashed another fireball attack at Mary. Mary dodged it, but then felt something sharp in her leg. Eve had taken advantage of the distraction and sliced into Mary. She grinned sadistically,

"Now, you die!"

Bast shouted,

"Not today!"

She slammed her scimitar into Eve's side. Eve turned and noticed blood pouring out of the wound. Before she could react, another scimitar slice hit her, this time cutting her face. Finally, Bast stabbed Eve in the chest, killing her.

Ollie and Dinah both came on the scene, while Farrah and Mary watched everything. Mary Marvel shook her head,

"You shouldn't have done that. We don't kill."

Bast hissed at the girl, reverting to her original form,

"Foolish girl! This is for survival! If it were not for me, you would be a corpse this thing would be eating right now!"

Ollie shook his head,

"Look, the world's come a long way since you've been worshiped-."

Bast snarled,

"I have noticed. Personally, I am disgusted with the mortals' legal system and laws. Doing the right thing means never caring about what rules you break. The world I know of will always be infinitely more civil than you could ever make it."

She huffed,

"I can no longer be a part of the Justice League if this is the behavior I have to deal with whenever a guilty life is taken."

Canary looked at her,

"Look, I'm not exactly a fan of everything that's gone on either, but, you've got to accept-."

Bast growled loudly,

"I am Bast, goddess of protection and vengeance! I don't have to accept anything from you!"

She ceremoniously lifted Barbara's body and, looking back, said,

"I have more important things to do. Do not come looking for me."

She teleported away. Farrah sighed,

"First Lance, now Bast."

Ollie grunted,

"Don't tell me you already miss her?"

The lioness shook her head,

"She does have a point, Ollie, but you're not feral."

Ollie looked at her,

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Unfortunately, Persiana was in no mood to answer.

Next Chapter:

Let's take a break and enjoy some laughs with the Super-buddies!


	28. Chapter 28

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos. _

Chapter 28: We Interrupt This Fiction! 

Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Guy Gardner, Fire, and Ice were sitting and having a round table discussion. The blue insect inventor said,

"Well, it's been an interesting story so far, hasn't it?"

Booster nodded,

"You said it. With departures of some beloved characters and deaths of others, what will this insane fan fiction writer do next?"

**That depends; do all five of you want to do Broadway musicals for life? **

Fire's eyes widened as she screamed,

"You don't mean that, do you? Do you have any idea how my looks would fade after only a week?"

Tora nodded,

"Yes, and do you know how Michael sings in the shower? It gives me nightmares."

The hero from the future growled,

"Hey, I resent that! My singing isn't that bad."

Guy laughed,

"It got you banned from every singing and talent show in the world after it aired. Let's face it, between the five of us; I'm the one with the talent and looks. Nerd boy over here is the brains, Bea's the ditzy bitch, Tora's the sweetheart, and you're just the lame talent-less creep."

Bea glared,

"Me, a ditzy bitch? I think you're having me confused with a certain tigress that is sleeping with Ted! She's a real ditz."

Tigra, from back stage, shouted,

"Hey! I heard that!"

Fire snarled,

"I meant it!"

The Brazilian spy folded her arms and looked at Ted,

"Honey, what do you see in her? I mean, she's a tramp, walks around in a bikini, craves mice…I'm twice the woman she could ever be."

Booster looked at his friend,

"Ted, how did you do it? How did you seduce what is probably the hottest woman ever to grace this planet? Tell me, is it the Kord charm? Tell me how I get it!"  
Ted looked at the fame-seeking hero,

"I didn't do anything. Greer-."

The flame user folded her arms,

"So, you're calling that animal Greer now?"

Guy smirked,

"Jealous much? I thought you and Flash were playing the adult version of Battlin' Bots."

He laughed as the green-haired model blushed hotly. She said,

"Well, he and I aren't…well, we are dating, but…"

She slapped Guy upside the head,

"Shut up! That's not any of your business."

Ice nodded,

"She's right, Guy. We don't want to know about her adult fantasies with Flash, especially the Hellfire Club one."

Fire was shocked,

"Who told you that? Who?"

Tora shrugged,

"Farrah did. She even showed me the costume you were supposed to be wearing."

Booster howled with laughter as he slammed his fist on the table,

"Oh, I can't wait to tell everyone about this on my blog! That is too funny!"

Bea had a fireball in her hands, threateningly remarking,

"Tell anyone and you die, Michael. You will die a painful, burning death!"  
Ted blinked,

"Michael, I think she's serious."

Guy smirked,

"Wuss."

He then got slapped upside the head by Tora. He said,

"Ow! Tora!"

Ice smiled sweetly,

"Yes, Guy?"

Mary Marvel walked in,

"What's going on?"  
Ted said,

"Oh, we're just going holding the fiction over until the big battle coming up between the Manhunters and the League."

Michael's eyes widened,

"You just spoiled it!"

The inventor looked at his friend,

"Oh, come on. I didn't tell the five readers that read this thing anything important. Besides, with what's been happening so far, it's completely reasonable to assume this is going to happen."

Mary whimpered,

"The Manhunters? Aren't those the robots that tried to take over Oa?" (1)

Guy nodded,

"Yep. If it wasn't for me, Oa would be toast!"

Fire said,

"Don't you mean John Stewart, the Green Lantern that ACTUALLY appeared on the show?"

The red-headed Lantern glared,

"Yeah, if only I was cast. The show would still be on because everyone knows I'm ratings gold."

Booster shot back,

"My ass! I'm Booster Gold! Everything I touch becomes ratings gold."

Mary shook her head,

"Oh, dear."

Fire rolled her eyes,

"Here they go again. I swear, they act like little children."

Tigra came on and sat in Blue Beetle's lap, purring,

"Hey, handsome. What say you and I get out of here to someplace quiet?"

Booster shouted,

"It's not my fault my on-going comic series is outselling yours!"

Guy shot back,

"I've been around longer, pal, and, let me tell you something; I'm the best selling Super-Buddy here! Green Lantern Corps is outselling your ass of a comic book any day of the week!"

Booster picked up a chair,

"You wanna piece of me?"  
The two began rolling on the floor, a brawl breaking out. Ted said,

"I'll take you up on that offer."

The couple dashed away, leaving Fire, Mary, and Ice to clean up the mess. Mary shook her head,

"What do you think we should do?"

Fire waved off,

"Let the two boys fight. I've got a date with Flash."

She sauntered off, muttering,

"Best selling? Please, if I had my own series, it would be flying off the shelf."

Next Chapter:

Mongul and Cyborg Superman lead the Manhunters in an all out invasion of Earth! Stay tuned for more, next chapter!

(1) Justice League Cartoon reference. I can't remember the name of the episode, but it was a good one.


	29. Chapter 29

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Marvel or DC. I own Farrah/Persiana and Lance/Diablos. _

Chapter 29: Manhunters' Escape Part 1 

**In outer space… **

Mongul was flying across the stars, plotting. He thought to himself,

_That miserable Cyborg Superman has no idea of the plot I have in store for him. As soon as the invasion of Earth begins, I will have more rings, and my revenge against Superman. _

Cyborg Superman was aboard the Manhunter spacecraft with the Manhunter robot crew. With Mongul's help, the Manhunters were going to invade a factory creating yellow power rings for Sinestro's Corps. Sinestro was actively building up his Corps in an attempt to take over the galaxy. Mongul had used his yellow ring and traced it to the factory. With the coordinates locked in and fed to the Manhunter robots, they were on their way.

Cyborg Superman was very pleased with himself. He was amassing an army to fight Superman and his heroes. Cyborg was going to get his revenge against Superman for what had happened to him, and the scientist could almost see the look of horror on the Last Son of Krypton's face as Henshaw tortured the hero's friends. He was making a mental checklist of things to do to each hero and heroine.

One of the Manhunter robots saluted and said,

"Grandmaster, we have a report from our spy on Earth."

Cyborg was surprised,

"You have a spy on Earth?"  
The Manhunter robot nodded,

"Yes, Grandmaster. The spy has been a sleeper agent for years, but she was activated after our devastating defeat on Oa. She says that there is some activity in Smallville. Supergirl is there, as well as a humanoid we have no information of."

Cyborg nodded,

"Interesting. As soon as we gain our power source, we will head in all due speed to Smallville. It will be a true test of this power source's capabilities."

The Manhunter saluted and went back to his duties.

**In a star sector not too far away… **

Lyssa Drak, a tall, bluish-black skinned woman and the Sinestro Corps keeper of the book, was supervising the distribution of the yellow rings to the new inductees of the Sinestro Corps. Chained to her wrist was a book, a book that told the tale of every Sinestro Corps member and how they spread fear and panic throughout the cosmos, and how they have died. Lyssa was instructing, saying in an eerie haunting, yet seductive voice,

"Let your enemy fear you. Let them know that, through fear, you are powerful and they are weak."

She saw some of the inductees use their power and made yellow constructs of frightful nightmares, depending on the species. Lyssa smiled,

"Excellent. You are all making headway with your studies. Now-."

Suddenly, the alarm sounded. One of the Sinestro Corps guards shouted,

"Madame Drak; we are being invaded by robots!"

He was then vaporized as the Manhunter robots stormed the factory, chanting,

"No man escapes the Manhunters!"

One of the Manhunters drained the nearest Sinestro Corps member's ring. He was then promptly vaporized. The Sinestro Corps symbol appeared on the Manhunter's chest and the yellow ring appeared on his finger.

Lyssa ordered,

"Defend the factory! Let the enemy fear you!"

Cyborg Superman shook his head,

"Hard to do that when they don't feel anything."  
He launched heat vision at the crowd. Some had their limbs burnt off, others had severe burns through their bodies. The mayhem scattered the remaining Sinestro Corps inductees about the place, and desperately launched a counter offensive.

Mongul was making his way to the main assembly room when several yellow ring-bearers got in his way. The deposed dictator slammed a yellow and green construct of a battering ram down the hall, flattening them hard. He then used the Orange Lantern's power and drained their rings and essences, adding to his own ever growing army. He smirked,

"Nice. Now that I've had a snack…"

He noticed several more Sinestro Corps members blocking his way from both sides. The ruler of Warworld grinned,

"It's time for the main course!"

Meanwhile, Cyborg Superman and two of the Manhunter robots were making their way to a large yellow lantern battery. This battery is not the true Sinestro Corps battery on Qward, but it was made of a smaller part of a similar battery. The Manhunters grabbed the Sinestro Corps members guarding the battery and absorbed their energy, gaining their own Sinestro Corps symbols.

Cyborg Superman stood at the edge of the power battery, peering into it, mesmerized by the haunting yellow glow. He raised his hands and said,

"Now, for power!"

He flew into the battery and absorbed its energy.

The whole factory, and, for that matter, the whole planet, began shaking. An evacuation order was given, as some of the living Sinestro Corps members fled to the stars. Lyssa Drak, the only one not leaving, looked in her book and gasped,

"It has begun. It has truly begun."

A maniacal laughter filled the air as Cyborg Superman emerged, wearing numerous yellow rings and the Sinestro Corps symbol on his chest. He shouted at no one in particular,

"AT LAST! AT LAST I HAVE THE POWER TO DEFEAT SUPERMAN!"  
Lyssa had a sickening, maniacal grin as well. She said,

"It has begun; the great invasion of Earth."

Mongul picked her up by the back of her neck,

"Too bad you won't be around to enjoy it."

He absorbed her essence, leaving the book to fall on the ground.

**Meanwhile, at the Watchtower… **

John Stewart rolled his shoulder,

"It's finally good to be out of that sling."

Hawkgirl was walking beside him,

"I knew you'd get out of that sling. You're tough, tough enough for me."

The architect smiled,

"Thanks, but what about our baby?"

Shayera nodded,

"I was thinking about that. How about a little quiet place in the suburbs?"

John blinked,

"You? Quiet?"

Hawkgirl said,

"What? Is that a problem?"

John shook his head quickly,

"No, no, not at all. It's just…I've never heard you talk about anything like that. Usually, when you want quiet, you usually beat up Gardner because he doesn't shut up."

The Thanagarian warrior chuckled,

"Oh, come now. I've been able to hold my temper. I only hit him with my mace three times. That's an improvement over the last time I did it, which was four times, so I'm making good progress."

John sighed,

"Farrah has definitely influenced your bad behavior."

Suddenly, there was an alert. The two founders ran to the bridge to see what was the emergency…

Next Chapter:

What is the emergency? And, how does it all fit in with the invasion of the Manhunters? Find out more, next time!


	30. Chapter 30

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Sister. _

Chapter 30: Manhunters' Escape Part 2 

J'onn J'onzz and Mr. Terrific were observing something on the screen when the others arrived. Superman said,

"What's the emergency?"

Mr. Terrific pointed out,

"Solovar reported in that Gorilla City is being attacked thanks to Grodd's earthquake machine."

Miss Marvel shook her head,

"I thought that thing got destroyed."

The Martian Manhunter said,

"It appears that someone was able to rebuild it."  
Wonder Woman asked,

"Is it Grodd?"

Mr. Terrific shook his head,

"I don't think so. From what Solovar told me, it appears the culprit is Persiana."

Miss Marvel rolled her eyes,

"She's finally snapped. It's finally happened."

J'onn said,

"I have an image now."

As the League looked on the screen, they saw what appeared to be Persiana indeed utilizing the earthquake machine. She then peered behind her shoulder and noticed the camera. She growled and slashed it, interrupting the feed.

Just then, the real Persiana stepped in,

"Hey, guys. Why are we on alert?"

Flash blinked,

"Wait, if you're here, then, who's in Gorilla City?"

Farrah looked confused,

"Wait, why would I be in Gorilla City?"

Mr. Terrific said,

"According to Solovar, you, Persiana, are in Gorilla City, have rebuilt Grodd's earthquake machine, and wrecking havoc on Gorilla City."  
The lioness thought for a moment. Who would want to impersonate her? Why would they want to impersonate her? Then, it hit her.

Sister.

She snarled,

"That bitch. It's her."

Before the League could ask what she meant, Kyle Rainer, a Green Lantern Corps member, called in to the Watchtower,

"Guys, we got a problem big time."  
John Stewart said,

"What is it?"

"Me and Kilowag are at the site of one of Sinestro's ring factories, and the place is a war zone. Most of Sinestro Corps members are dead and their rings were taken."

Mr. Terrific looked at another screen,

"Our satellites on Mars just detected movement, coming in fast. The frequency is similar to Sinestro's ring, but there sees to be a much larger concentration of yellow ring frequency than-."

Suddenly, the satellite shook violently. Hawkgirl looked out and growled,

"Manhunter robots!"

Flash groaned,

"Great, those things again."

Superman ordered,

"Stop those robots!"

**Meanwhile… **

Persiana was in the pilot seat of one of the Javelins. She began activating several of the computers and was readying the ship for take-off. The feral heroine growled, thinking,

_That bitch is back. How could she be back after everything that's happened? What does she want? _

She started to punch another command when a black gloved hand stopped her.

It was Batman.

The Dark Knight said,

"Where do you think you're going?"

Persiana snapped back,

"She's back, Bats. Sister is back, and she's doing this to get to me!"

She pulled away and repeated punching the same command. Batman said,

"Computer; override King's Knight seven."

The computer froze and the lioness growled,

"What did you do?"  
She leapt at him, but Batman restrained her as best he could,

"You need to calm down. Sister is counting on you to be emotionally charged."

Farrah slipped out of his grip, shouting,

"You have no idea what she's done to me! She's tried to take over my body and then, she has the nerve to impersonate me and pull a stunt like this!"  
She added, her eyes softening and tearing,

"Do you have any idea what it's like not to be in control of your own body? I felt like that when that thing tried to take over. It scares me, Batman. It scares me tremendously."  
Batman watched as the female feline covered her mouth, crying. He said,

"I know what you're going through."

Farrah looked at him and Batman began explaining,

"When I was controlled by Brainiac, I had built a ship for him to escape the solar system. My disappearance alarmed Tim and he went looking for Superman. Superman was able to stop Brainiac from leaving and destroyed the ship. In the process, I was able to come to my senses and protect Tim while Superman stopped Brainiac. The whole time I was under his control, I tried to fight it. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but it could not be helped."

He placed his hand on her shoulder,

"It's going to be all right."

Farrah wiped her tears away. She sniffed,

"Thank you."

She then saw Batman sitting at the controls, ready to pilot the plane. He said,

"Call Titans East. Have them meet us in Gorilla City."

Farrah quickly sat down and was about to make the call when she paused for a moment. Batman looked at her and ordered,

"Make the call now."

The lioness smirked,

"Got it, Bats."

Next Chapter:  
The Manhunter Invasion continues as Superman and Wonder Woman lead an all out assault against the robots. Plus, how will Titans East deal with Sister? Find out how next chapter!


	31. Chapter 31

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Arlington, Selene, and Sister. _

Chapter 31: Manhunters' Escape Part 3 

**Over Gorilla City… **

Titans East, led by the Amazon princess Wonder Girl, was flying in the T-jet to the hidden African city. Diablos was in the co-pilot seat as the other Titans were getting ready for a fight.

Selene looked out the window and was surprised,

"By the Gods, this city is amazing."

Red Star was equally awed,

"Da, Selene. I have never been to this Gorilla City. It is magnificent."

Arlington was nestled in his lap, purring,

"Warm."

Superboy folded his arms,

"What's so special about a city that looks like something out of Planet of the Apes?  
Hawke said,

"It's a city built by super-intelligent gorillas. Besides, I think you could always show a little more appreciation in someone else's work."

Miss Martian added,

"Besides, it's better than the city you made with popsicle sticks."

Lance blinked,

"Is that a story I want to hear or not?"

The alien heroine giggled,  
"No, but I did enjoy eating all the ice cream off of those sticks."

She then suddenly screamed. Meg clutched her head, panting,

"No! No! NO! NOT HUMAN! NOT HUMAN!"  
Diablos also felt a strong, telepathic assault. Straining, he said,

"Donna, take us down. Something's wrong."

Just then, the pilot window on the jet became black. The view obstructed, Wonder Girl and Diablos had to rely on their instruments to land. However, none of the Titans would expect something like this.

The blackness began moving, and, in moments, formed a head. It hissed and thrashed itself against the window, its long, disgusting tongue and sharp teeth attempted to break through the window. Selene gasped,

"By Hera, what is that creature?"

Lance narrowed his eyes,

"It's one of the symbiotes."

He electrified the ship, sending the black ooze-like creature away. Leonid shook his head,

"That thing is hideous. I'm glad that it is gone."

Everyone disembarked through the hatch. Once they got there, though, things were far worse in Gorilla City than they realized…

**Meanwhile, in the Watchtower… **

Several Manhunter robots pried open the Watchtower bay doors and began swarming inside. Once they had reached the doorway to the main hall, Green Arrow opened up with several explosive arrows, while Black Canary unleashed her Canary Cry. That sent several Manhunter robots back, damaging them heavily. The newer, undamaged ones began repairing the damaged ones, while others opened fire with their laser weapons. The archer and his blonde girlfriend rolled for cover. Dinah said,

"These guys don't quit."

Just then, there was an angry battle cry as Hawkgirl swooped in and bashed several Manhunters with her mace, while Atom Smasher and Uncle Sam began pounding the Manhunters that were still operational.

In another part of the Watchtower, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Fire, Ice, Tigra, and Martian Manhunter were fighting more Manhunters that had managed to breach other areas of the Watchtower. The Martian hero fired his Martian vision at one of the androids, while Tigra acrobatically flipped in-between two of them, causing them both to blast each other. She cheered,

"All right! These guys are pushovers! We'll be finished before dinner!"

One of the Manhunter robots was prepared to open fire when Blue Beetle fired his grappling hook and, swinging like a mad-man, swooped down, picked up Tigra, and watched as the Manhunter missed his shot. Tigra grinned,

"My hero."

She leant in close to him, which caused Fire to scowl. The Brazilian model was about to say something when a Manhunter robot targeted her. She turned, and was about to be fired upon when the Manhunter was encased in ice. Tora said,

"Bea, are you all right?"

Fire nodded,

"I will be."

Booster Gold laughed,

"Imagine when we win this! I'll be famous! The endorsements will be forever!"

He got shot in the back by a Manhunter. Fortunately, his shield was up strong enough to take the blast.

Mary Marvel came flying in, throwing Manhunter robots everywhere. She shook her head,

"These robots aren't very nice house guests."  
Fire blinked,

"Yeah, right."

She mentally added,

_How naïve_.

Martian Manhunter looked over to a screen,

"Many of them are concentrated on Metropolis. I'm sending the others to intercept them."

Just then, the station rocked. Flash came up,

"There's more of these things."  
Tigra rolled her eyes,

"Is this ever going to stop?"

**In Metropolis… **

Cyborg Superman was flying, surveying the damage that was being done by his army of Manhunter robots. He laughed sadistically,

"Yes! Yes, that's it! Burn it to the ground, all of it! Make Superman pay!"

Suddenly, the cyborg felt something hard hit him in the head. He plummeted to the ground, creating a big crater. He looked up,

"Who did that?"

Thor hovered down, glaring at him,

"Monster. I shall show you no mercy."

Cyborg Superman screeched,

"ME, A MONSTER? SUPERMAN DID THIS TO ME! HE TURNED ME INTO THIS!"

Superman came down,

"Wonder Woman and several others are handling the robots."

Henshaw then saw the Man of Steel and roared,

"YOU! YOU DID THIS TO ME!"  
Superman blinked,

"Who are you?"

Thor shook his head,

"This fiend claims you know him."

Cyborg Superman shouted,

"He does! My name is Dr. Henry Henshaw and you ruined my life!"  
The Last Son of Krypton thought for a moment before he snapped his fingers,

"Now I remember that name. You work at STAR Labs. What happened?"

Henshaw fumed,

"YOU HAPPENED! I WAS CONDUCTING AN EXPERIMENT IN SPACE AND GOT TURNED INTO THIS!"  
He turned around,

"I'M A FREAK, AND IT'S YOUR FAULT!"  
He charged up his yellow ring,

"NOW, SUPERMAN; PREPARE TO DIE!"

Next Chapter:

Manhunters Escape continues as unexpected allies join Wonder Girl in Gorilla City, and Wonder Woman and her team face off against Mongul! Found out how it'll all go, next time!


	32. Chapter 32

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Arlington, Selene, and Sister. _

Chapter 32: Manhunters' Escape Part 4 

**In Gorilla City… **

Persiana and Batman were coming in for a landing. The were-lioness looked out the window, noticing the damage Gorilla City had been inflicted. She growled,

"Sister's going to pay for this."

The Dark Knight looked at the scanners,

"The other Titans East members are down below and-."

Suddenly, his sensors went berserk,

"There appears to be more life forms in the area, but they all are similar to Sister."

Farrah blinked,

"How is that possible?"

Suddenly, several tendrils grappled the Bat-plane and began pulling it to the ground. Persiana looked down,

"Uh, Bats. I think I know why. Look!"

Several black symbiotes had attached themselves to the gorillas of Gorilla City. Farrah shook her head,

"It's like she created more symbiotes from herself. But, how did she do that?"

Several more Gorilla City gorillas possessed by the symbiotes came to help. It was then that Arlington and Red Star opened up with their attacks. The little golden dragon unleashed her flame breath, while the Russian super hero lashed out with an energy wave. He yelled,

"This way!"

The cockpit opened and Persiana did a swan dive down while Batman dove down. He then pressed a button, causing the Bat-plane to electrify and return to Wayne Manor on auto-pilot.

Red Star said,

"It is good to see you two. The city has gone mad with these symbiotes."

Persiana nodded,

"We've noticed."

Batman asked,

"Where are the others?"

Arlington said,

"Holding the line behind us. Donna told us to go on ahead and stop the machine."

The lioness thought about Lance and how he and the others were holding on. She swallowed nervously before saying,

"We have to go."  
She turned and Batman was gone. Arlington asked,

"Does he do that a lot?"

The feral heroine sighed,

"You have no idea."

**Meanwhile, in another part of Gorilla City… **

Wonder Girl ordered,

"Hold this line! We do not let them past us!"

She punched another symbiote-possessed gorilla away. Diablos ducked a punch,

"These things are coming out of the wood work."

He then noticed the symbiote he knocked out earlier coming back. It latched onto him and began enveloping him.

Miss Martian shouted,

"No! You won't hurt my friends!"

She lashed out with her Martian vision, but that did little to stop what was happening. The demonic-inspired hero could feel the symbiote entrench into every fiber of his being, every cell of his body. Lance fought back hard, trying to expel the symbiote. He did not want to end up possessed like the gorillas and attack his friends.

Suddenly, something happened. Just as Lance could feel the symbiote's grasp coming completely firm, it loosened. In fact, it completely slipped off of him.

Selene blinked,

"What happened?"

Hawke opened up with an arrow,

"It appears the symbiote could not possess him."

Diablos shook his head,

"It must be my healing factor. It must be driving the symbiote away."

Donna nodded, then felt her leg get caught in something. The symbiote that could not possess Lance tried to possess her. Wonder Girl screamed, attempting to fight the thing off all she could, but it was like grasping at water, and making the situation much worse. The symbiote was about to possess her when an arrow was fired. The arrow contained a subsonic blast, creating an intense burst of sound, long enough to incapacitate the symbiotes, including the one that tried to possess the young Amazon princess.

Donna smirked,

"Thank you, Connor."

Hawke shook his head,

"It wasn't me. It was them."

The Titans East members turned and saw Roy Harper, the hero Arsenal, Power Girl, Major Disaster, and Vision all helping hold back the symbiote army. The android fired his solar eye beams, incinerating one of the symbiotes. Power Girl picked up a heavy stone and slammed it into a cluster of them. She barked out,

"Well, don't just stand there! Help me out!"

Superboy drooled at Power Girl, which Miss Martian blinked at,

"Connor, why are you having those thoughts?"

Selene slapped the Kryptonian clone upside the had,

"Idiot male."

A major earthquake shook the area. Major Disaster tried to concentrate on relieving the intensity, but with the symbiotes around, he was having a difficult time. He said,

"It's no use. I have to get closer to the source."

Wonder Girl ordered,

"We press onward and join Arlington and Red Star. By now, they should have found the device."

Diablos said,

"You heard the lady. Let's go meet up!"

**Meanwhile, in Metropolis… **

Wonder Woman, with Maxima, Hawk, Dove, Elongated Man, Hal Jordan, Vixen, Wonder Man, Miss Marvel, Batman, and Flash were busy fighting Mongul and several other Manhunter robots. Maxima charged into battle, shouting,

"Die, monster!"

She was met with resistance as Mongul powered up the yellow and green rings and slammed both beams hard into the ruler of Almerac. Wonder Woman took this opportunity and barreled in with a hard punch. Mongul staggered back and created orange constructs for the other League members to fight.

Hawk hefted a car and threw it at one of the constructs. He grinned,

"Hah! Nice try!"

The flying car slammed hard into the construct. Though shaken, the construct continued its assault, shouting,

"MINE! GIVE IT TO ME!"  
Dove said,

"Hank, this isn't going to work."

Hal nodded,

"I've heard of this. It's avarice. The construct is made from the orange ring. We have to get it off of Mongul now!"

Mongul cackled,

"Easier said than done, Lantern. I will enjoy draining your ring, and the rings of all the others!"  
Vixen adopted the speed of a cheetah and slammed a powerful kick into one of the constructs. However, more constructs were coming and she screamed,

"Simon, help me!"

Wonder Man charged in hard, batting constructs away left and right. He eventually got to Vixen, and the two heroes flew up high.

Elongated Man, Maxima, and Flash were fighting several of the Manhunter robots. Flash tried to outpace several of them,

"Can't catch me, losers!"

The Manhunters fired their weapons at the scarlet speedster, but failed to hit him. While they were busy with him, Elongated Man stretched his limbs and punched several of them, while Maxima charged with her sword. Several of them were sliced on the spot. The others that did not began taking parts from them, modifying themselves and their weapons' strength. Flash said,

"These guys just don't quit."

Mongul looked at Hal Jordan,

"Give me that ring! It's mine!"

He lashed out with more Orange constructs and they all went for Hal. Wonder Woman did everything she could to stop Mongul, including spearing him through a wall. However, the deposed dictator created a yellow shield around himself and punched the Amazon princess aside. He scoffed,

"Pathetic."

He then ran up to Hal and grabbed him with a pair of yellow vice grips. Caught, Hal tried desperately to fight out, but it was to no avail. No matter what he tried to conjure up, the emerald construct could not be formed to counteract the yellow one. Mongul glared down,

"Now, your ring is mine!"

"Do not be afraid, Hal Jordan…"

Saint Walker hovered near him,

"All will be well."

Mongul laughed,

"Yeah, right! Give me your ring too!"

He went for the Blue Lantern, but something was wrong. Mongul could feel his yellow ring being drained. His green one was getting stronger, but, somehow, his orange ring could not absorb the energy from the blue ring. Saint Walker said,

"You cannot drain from blue, Mongul. And, your yellow ring is weakening."

Mongul roared,

"NO! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE ANYTHING FROM ME! IT'S MINE!"  
Miss Marvel and Wonder Woman delivered a double clothesline, knocking the avarice ruler off his feet. The blonde Air Force Major grinned,

"Now, this is what I've been waiting for!"

Next Chapter:

Manhunters' Escape continues as a contingent of Manhunters invade Smallville, exposing their sleeper agent. Also, more Gorilla City and Metropolis fights! Stay tuned!

AN: The Orange Lantern cannot drain from the Blue Lantern. Blue Lanterns power Green ones but weaken yellow ones. Just thought I'd mention this.


	33. Chapter 33

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Sister, Arlington, and Selene/Red Knight. _

Chapter 33: Manhunters' Escape Part 5 

**In Smallville… **

The Manhunter robots swept through the small Kansas town. Kara Kent, the heroine Supergirl, and her boyfriend Longshot both looked out the window of their room. The blonde acrobat said,

"What are those things?"

The alien teen said,

"Manhunter robots. Superman told me about them."

She looked at her old costume and sighed, remembering the last time she wore it. Kara said,

"I don't know if I can do this."

Just then, Kara and Longshot both heard gun shots coming from outside. Jonathan Kent was firing at several Manhunter robots that flew by. One was taken down, but the others fired back. While the old Pa Kent ducked for cover, Martha Kent also opened up with her shotgun. Longshot said,

"Look, if your adopted parents are willing to risk their lives, you can too."

He got dressed,

"I'm going down to help them."

He flipped out of the window and launched several knives at two more Manhunter robots, disabling their weapons. The blonde acrobat told the elderly couple,

"Get to cover! I can handle these guys!"

Lana Lang, a childhood friend of Clark Kent's, and who knew the Kents well, came screaming at the house. She was being pursued by several swarming Manhunter robots. They were closing in on her when a blue blur had taken them all out. Lana turned and saw Supergirl, dressed in blue, stomp the last one. She ordered,

"Get to the basement. You'll be safe there."

As Lana and the Kents made their way to the storm cellar, Longshot smiled,

"Nice of you to join in."

Kara tutted,

"Be careful. I may love you, but I can withhold sex from you if I wanted to."

Longshot raised an eyebrow,

"O-K. It's obvious Farrah's been a bad influence on you."

Kara blinked,

"It shows?"

**Meanwhile, in Metropolis… **

Cyborg Superman lunged at his organic counterpart and slammed a massive right hook into the Man of Steel. Thor countered by calling out,

"THUNDER, RAIN DOWN ON MY ENEMY!"  
A thunderbolt crashed through the sky and hit Cyborg Superman. The deranged scientist was sent flying into the side of a building, but he emerged, his arms changing into numerous tendrils. He launched on at the Norse warrior god,

"YOU'RE ONLY MAKING THIS HARDER FOR ME!"

Two tendrils wrapped themselves around the hand that Thor was holding his hammer in. Thor then got pulled hard, right into range of Cyborg Superman's beam attack. The warrior was hit hard and fell into the streets by a piercing heat vision attack. Cyborg Superman hovered above the downed god,

"I have no time for this, pathetic worm. I must get my revenge on Superman!"

He turned and was speared hard into the pavement. The Daily Planet reporter grinned,

"Looking for me?"

He tried to reason with Henshaw,

"Look, I don't know how you got to be this way, but, I'm sure there's a way to change you back if-."

Henshaw snapped,

"CHANGE ME BACK? ALL MY LIFE I WAS A WEAKLING, ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU STOLE STAR LABS FROM ME, AND THIS IS WHAT I'VE BECOME! IT'S YOUR FAULT!"  
He screamed and lashed out with another heat vision attack. Superman used his super speed and dodged it, then countered with freezing breath to try and cool off Henshaw's temper and his body. In moments, the deranged cyborg was encased in solid ice.

Thor weakly stood up and noticed the ice prison. The god of thunder nodded,

"Impressive. Thou arst truly a god amongst men."

Suddenly, the entrapment cracked and Cyborg Superman broke free. He bellowed,

"NOW, YOU DIE TODAY!"

**Elsewhere, in Gorilla City… **

Batman, Persiana, Red Star, and Arlington were making their way through the city, attempting to reach the location of the earthquake machine. However, they had to contend with the symbiote-possessed gorillas, all of which had their natural abilities enhanced even further than normal. The Dark Knight threw a Bat-arang with a super sonic pitch, causing several of the symbiotes to shriek in pain and whither away. Arlington flew above and launched more fire breath attacks, separating the symbiotes and turning them into ashes.

Some of the possessed gorillas lost their symbiotes. One of them asked,

"What is happening? Why are there humans here?"

Farrah ducked an angry symbiote-possessed gorilla,

"I'd worry about not having an invite later. Right now, I think this is more of a priority."

"Persiana!"

Wonder Girl called out to her. She, Red Knight, Superboy, Hawkeye, and Miss Martian were making their way towards the other heroes. The leader of Titans East was overjoyed,

"Sister, you are here!"  
She hugged Farrah tightly. The feral heroine smirked,

"Hey, Donna. It's good you all came."  
The younger Amazon princess sighed happily,

"It is good to see you again, sister."

Farrah looked around,

"Where's Lance?"

Red Knight folded her arms,

"He and the traitor Arsenal are holding back the remaining monsters. It appears that the symbiotes cannot bond to him."

The lioness blinked,

"Seriously?"

Superboy raised his hand,

"Uh, I know it's not the greatest time for us to be catching up, but we really have to get to that earthquake machine."

"Now, I'd never thought I'd hear that from you, Connie, baby."

All of them looked up and saw Sister, completely encased in black, except for her mouth. She grinned ferociously,

"So good of you to come."

**Meanwhile, in another part of Gorilla City… **

Diablos unleashed another lightning attack against a symbiote possessed gorilla. He wiped some sweat off of his forehead,

"How many more of these things are there?"

Power Girl picked up a column and threw it several incoming gorillas,

"Getting tired? I haven't had this much fun in a long time!"

Arsenal unloaded with super sonic arrows, the symbiotes unable to withstand the horrific loud sounds.

Vision covered Major Disaster as the disaster-making villain focused his powers and attempted to lower the earthquakes' intensity. With all the explosions and firepower being thrown around, Booker had to truly concentrate in order to stifle the power of the earthquakes. He said,

"Just a little more time. That's all I need."

Diablos absorbed the life energy from one of the possessed gorillas,

"We'll do what we can."

"No, you don't, soldier!"

Diablos looked up and shouted,

"Get down!"

It was Major Force. He lashed out with an energy beam, flattening Disaster into a wall. The army criminal sneered,

"Well, what do you know? It saves me the trouble of lookin' for your yellow ass!"

**Back in Smallville… **

Lana and Ma and Pa Kent retreated to the safety of the storm cellar. Still armed, Jonathan Kent covered the door while Martha examined Lana for injuries. Lana shook her head,

"I'm all right. Those things didn't get to me."

Jonathan nodded,

"Just as long as Superman and the League can handle these things. Supergirl's out there too."

Lana smiled darkly,

"I doubt Kara can hold them off. Besides…"

She smacked Martha down on the dirt floor and pulled out a gun,

"No man escapes the Manhunters. Or woman."

Next Chapter:

Manhunters' Escape continues as the teams in Gorilla City square off against Sister and Major Force. Also, more Manhunter madness and why is Lana Lang holding the Kents hostage? Stay tuned.


	34. Chapter 34

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Sister, Selene/Red Knight, and Arlington._

Chapter 34: Manhunters' Escape Part 6 

**In Gorilla City… **

Diablos and Major Force were going toe-to-toe. The former Army officer glared,

"Nice to seem I'm back? I know I am!"

He punched the demonic-inspired hero hard, sending him into through a clay hut. Force then lecherously grinned at Power Girl,

"Well, hello there! I'd salute you any day of the week!"

Power Girl responded by kicking him in the head and slamming him to the ground hard.

This was costly, as one of the uninhabited symbiotes lunged itself against the blonde powerhouse and latched on. Karen screamed and tried to fight the thing off, but it was going to bond with her. Vision saw his teammate in distress and lashed out with solar beams, frying the symbiote on Power Girl's back. Karen caught her breath, smiling,

"Thanks, Vision."

Vision stated,

"It was what I was programmed to do, Power Girl."

Arsenal unloaded his gun on two more symbiote gorillas,

"We meet up with Wonder Girl and the others. Vision, you and Diablos cover us!"

He, Major Disaster, and Power Girl ran off. Diablos got up, groaning,

"That hurt."

He then saw Major Force just staggering to his feet. In one swift move, the red-eyed hero launched himself at top speed and speared a surprised Major Force through several small clay huts. The energy-based villain got to his feet quickly, shrugging off the damage. He glared,

"That's it! I'm gonna do to you what I should've done when we first met; kick your ass!"

The two continued their fight…

**Meanwhile, in Metropolis… **

Wonder Woman was continuing the assault on Mongul. She threw her lasso at the dictator, but Mongul used Orange Lantern constructs to get the Amazing Amazon off his back so he could try and drain more rings.

Saint Walker and Hal Jordan both teamed up; the legendary Green Lantern getting a power boost from the Blue Lantern's presence. However, Mongul was gaining the same power boost. The upside to this was that the yellow ring was totally drained of power, thus rendering it useless. Mongul shouted,

"NO! GIVE IT TO ME! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAKE IT FROM ME!"  
He was frenzied, determined to carry out his avarice desire for all the rings. He blindly launched emerald constructs at the two Lantern heroes. Hal countered with his own green shields, which, surprisingly, held up despite the numerous poundings. Saint Walker moved in,

"Mongul, you cannot win. We will defeat you and all will be well."

Wonder Woman tightened her grip on the lasso. Mongul managed to grab it and began screaming,

"NO! MINE! IT'S ALL MINE! YOU CAN'T STOP ME!"  
He began pulling on the lasso, as if an unknown madness was giving him strength to break free. He let out another yell, and the lasso snapped. Mongul was free.  
Diana was stunned,

"The lasso…broke? But, that's impossible! It's a magical artifact!"

She examined the lasso and, indeed it was broken. Mongul grinned,

"Now, give it to me!"

He grabbed Saint Walker and began draining off his blue energy.

However, something was wrong. The more Mongul attempted to drain the Blue Lantern's power, the more frustrated he became at not getting anything. In fact, the Orange Lantern light was draining off Mongul's green ring instead of the blue one.

Hal wanted to move in, but Saint shook his head,

"Do not fret, Hal Jordan of Earth. All will be well."

Mongul grabbed Saint Walker,

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?"  
Saint Walker said,

"You cannot drain from the blue light, Mongul. Your orange ring is useless."

Mongul roared,

"NO! YOU'RE TAKING IT FROM ME! IT'S MINE!"

Suddenly, Mongul stopped in his rant. The orange ring on his hand started to drain off of his essence. He frantically tried to get the ring off of his hand, but it was too late. Mongul disappeared into the ring, and the ring flew up into the stars.

Hal blinked,

"What happened?"

Saint Walker shook his head,

"It is a shame. When the Orange ring cannot gain possession of other rings, like blue, it cannibalizes the wearer, absorbing their essence into the ring. In time, the essences will fight one another in order to gain control of the ring, or it encounters another that shares avarice and bond with him."

Hal said,

"So, it's over then? Mongul's gone for good?"

Saint said,

"His essence will live on in the ring, and the ring bearer can call upon this essence. However, if you mean his physical form is destroyed, then yes, it has been."

Hal then looked at Diana, who was now holding the broken magical Lasso of Truth. The Green Lantern had heard of the magical properties of the lasso, but never thought it could be destroyed. The power of avarice can do many things, including finding strength in untold volume if a person is greedy enough.

**Meanwhile, in another section of Metropolis… **

Cyborg Superman pummeled Thor with several powerful punches,

"STAY OUT OF MY WAY, GOLDILOCKS! SUPERMAN IS MY ENEMY!"  
Thor crashed into a building, but, the battle-hardened hammer user stood up, glaring,

"Monster. You attack a man I call friend. For that, I shall make you suffer."

He raised his hammer,

"LIGHTNING, I COMMAND THEE! STRIKE THIS ENEMY FROM MY SIGHT!"  
Lightning crashed down from the sky, slamming Henshaw hard. The energy-based villain shouted in pain, but he began fighting it. He smirked evilly,

"Nice try. But, the energy source I have makes me last forever! You can't best me! I am superior!"

Superman, from behind, speared the psychotic robot into a car. The Last Son of Krypton shook his head,

"Henshaw, stop this insanity."

Henshaw screamed,

"ME? STOP? HAHAHA! NEVER! EVEN IF I CAN'T BEAT YOU, YOUR FAMILY IS ANOTHER STORY!"  
Clark clenched his fists,

"What are you talking about?"

Cyborg Superman smirked,

"Come now…Clark. The Manhunters knew all about you from the mole they had here on Earth."

The reporter blinked and said under his breath,

"No."

He flew out of there at high speeds to Smallville. Cyborg Superman smirked as he got up,

"Must have been something I said."

He turned, only to get his face flattened by Thor's hammer. The warrior god shouted,

"This battle is far from over, monster!"

He then picked up Cyborg Superman and threw him aside. The cyborg villain clenched his fists,

"No matter. If I can't kill Superman, I'll settle for his city!"

He began glowing brightly, and, in moments, a large explosion covered a large section of the city of Metropolis.

Next Chapter:

Manhunters' Escape concludes with the last stand at Gorilla City by Sister and the Titans. And, the fate of the Kents in Smallville. Stay tuned, readers!


	35. Chapter 35

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Selene/Red Knight, Sister, and Arlington. _

Chapter 35: Manhunters' Escape Part 7 

**In Gorilla City… **

Sister nimbly dodged an incoming attack from Hawkeye and stuck to a wall, taunting,

"Is this the best you can do?"

Wonder Girl charged in,

"Not even close."

She slammed a fist into the symbiote leader. Sister went flying down hard to the ground, but reformed after a few moments. She tutted,

"Now, is that any to treat the woman you love?"

Persiana pounced, going through Sister. Sister sighed,

"You do realize this is getting you nowhere, right?"

The lioness grinned,

"We know. We're just distracting you."

Hawkeye and Arsenal then launched their last sonic arrows at Sister. The high-pitched sound waves caused the symbiote villainess to screech out loud. She began reducing herself in a puddle and attempted to get away. Arlington shook her head,

"Oh, no you don't!"

She swooped down as a dragon and launched a long stream of fire breath. Sister screamed one last time as she was incinerated by the flames. She was no more.

Major Disaster and Power Girl pounded down a wall. The blonde powerhouse looked around,

"I can hear the machine. I just can't seem to find it."

It was then that she began seeing through the walls. She spotted the machine,

"It's through here."

She flew through several walls. Booker was surprised,

"How'd she do that?"

He continued onward.

The two former members of the Suicide Squad eventually came to the room where the earthquake machine was being housed in. Power Girl wanted to punch it, but Booker held her back,

"Wait, Karen. Let me. I think I can use this."

He walked up to the machine and placed both his hands on opposite sides of the control panel. He closed his eyes and began concentrating, attempting to influence the controls.

Another tectonic shift in the plates was already taking place as the disaster making metahuman started. Booker felt the quake and attempted to slow the plates down from colliding so violently with each other. He said,

"Calm down, baby. Daddy's here."  
Karen, hearing this, rolled her eyes,

"Are you trying to avert another natural disaster, or making love to the planet?"

Booker said,

"If you break my concentration, we'll both be swallowed up in a volcano."

At this, the endowed blonde decided to keep quiet and let Booker finish.

**Meanwhile, in Smallville… **

Supergirl and Longshot were in the center of town, holding off the last of the Manhunter robots. Both their costumes were torn up, but they both fought on valiantly. Longshot's eye began glowing and he acrobatically dodged several Manhunters with astonishing speed and grace. Several of said Manhunters ended up damaging each other, as well as their weapons misfiring. One of the Manhunters pointed his weapon, saying,

"Target in sight. Preparing to term-."

The robot was cut down by Supergirl's heat vision. Kara huffed,

"No one terminates my boyfriend."

"Supergirl!"

The teen blonde turned and saw her cousin coming down. Superman asked,

"Kara, where's Ma and Pa?"

Supergirl said,

"They're in the basement at their home. Lana's with them too."

Just then, the two Kryptonians heard something with their superhuman hearing; the sound of a gunshot. Quickly, the two sped over to the Kents'.

When they arrived, the door to the storm cellar was blown out and, to both their horrors, Lana Lang was crawling. She looked up and smirked evilly,

"Too late, Clark. You're too late."

Superman rushed inside and saw Martha Kent huddled in a corner. Her husband, Jonathan, lay dead, and an alien-looking pistol was on the ground. Martha was trembling and she looked up at Clark,

"She was one of them. She shot him."

Clark could not believe it; a childhood friend of his, a woman that he once had feelings for, was a mole for a ruthless and brutal enemy. A tear rolled down his cheek as he looked at his adopted father's body.

Little did the Man of Steel realize, this was only the beginning…

Next Chapter:

The Manhunter invasion aftermath. Find out which heroes are dead, and which new ones are coming aboard in the next chapter. I promise, things are going to be very shaken up.

Major Disaster (walks out): And, for once, I won't be doing the shaking!


	36. Chapter 36

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Selene/Red Knight, and Arlington. _

Chapter 36: Loss of Heroes 

The invasion of the Manhunters was one of the most devastating events to ever occur to the League. When Superman returned to the Watchtower with Supergirl and Longshot, the feeling of morose flooded the heroes' base like a cold rush of water. Little did they suspect that it was only the beginning of things to come.

Several heroes gave their lives to stopping the Manhunters. Captain Atom, Hawk, Dove, Firestorm, Vibe, and Vigilante were all killed in action. Dove was the first to die, having rescued some children as the building was collapsing. Although he was fast, he was not fast enough as some debris was knocked on top of him, crushing him. Hawk, having the power of chaos, went ballistic and threw himself at every Manhunter robot he could find. The numbers game took over, but Hawk did manage to recycle a few of the Manhunters before the remaining robots focused their energy into one huge shot.

Vibe, Firestorm, and Captain Atom all died aboard the Watchtower. Vibe, a sound making hero, got sucked out into space when the Manhunter robots breached the Watchtower. Captain Atom went after him, but Mongul launched a powerful yellow beam, breaking through the Air Force captain's containment suit. The explosion rocked the station and scattered the consciousness of Captain Atom throughout space.

Firestorm and Vigilante had managed to get themselves aboard the main Manhunter spacecraft coordinating the attacks. Though both managed to destroy the craft, they were on board when it occurred because both of them did not want their deaths to be meaningless.

And, that was not all. The resulting explosion took out a considerable section of Metropolis. Thor survived, barely. He was unconscious in the infirmary, which was already operating beyond normal capacity. Janissary and Dr. Mid-nite were doing everything medically possible to help the heroes recover.

Some heroes, at this point, decided to leave the League. Huntress and Question departed to chase other conspiracies or become vigilantes. Hal Jordan resumed his duties of patrolling the stars after giving John his ring back. Saint Walker could only offer kind words of encouragement before he too departed to spread his message of hope. Steel returned to Metropolis and continued working on improvements to his armor. He said he wanted to make some modifications, but also, his niece was building her own armor, and wanted to supervise that project.

Inside, the Big Seven were holding a discussion. Batman shook his head,

"Is everyone all right?"

John looked at his hand with the ring on it,

"It's nice to have my ring back, even though there was a price."

Flash nodded,

"Yeah, with all the people that died or are leaving, it is going to be hard."

No one knew that more than Superman. The Man of Steel had lost his adopted father. Batman knew what Clark was going through all too well; his own parents shot during an attempted robbery. Only, this time, this was a betrayal; a betrayal even the Dark Knight had not counted on.

Diana placed her hand on Clark's shoulder,

"Are you all right?"

The Daily Planet reporter shook his head,

"The funeral's tomorrow. I'm keeping it to as few people as possible. It's just…"

Clark was lost in thought. Why would Lana betray him like that? It just did not make any sense. Lana Lang was always a good friend and a kind soul. Was it all a lie? Was their entire friendship a lie?

J'onn could sense this and said,

"Perhaps it would be best, Superman, if you took some time to mourn."

Hawkgirl nodded,

"We all could."

**Meanwhile… **

Wonder Girl and the other members of Titans East were helping to repair the Watchtower or help any more wounded. The young Amazon princess hefted a piece of shielding and with Red Star's help, got it into place. Superboy used his heat vision and seared the outer edges of the shielding into place.

Persiana was helping repair Skeets, who got damaged in the assault. She smirked,

"So, is that better?"

The hovering android responded,

"Yes. Thank you, Persiana."

The furry acrobat grinned,

"No problem."

She turned and went to look for someone else, but her eyes drifted back to Donna.

Wonder Girl, despite giving orders and helping out where she was needed, was distracted. Farrah asked,

"Hey, Donna? Is something wrong?"

Donna turned, a bit surprised,

"Farrah, I…I apologize. I was in deep thought about what happened."

News of how Mongul had managed to snap the supposed unbreakable Lasso of Truth had spread throughout the Watchtower. It was a shock that a magical artifact could be destroyed this way. Farrah shook her head,

"If it's about the Lasso, it's not the first time something like this has happened."

Wonder Girl looked up, asking,

"How do you mean?"

Farrah explained,

"Thor told me this story of this villain called the Molecule Man destroyed Thor's magic hammer." (1)

Donna was stunned,

"He did that? How?"

The lioness blinked,

"Well, he had the ability to control the very molecules in an object and simply…erased them."

Superboy snickered,

"Molecule Man? Lame name for lame villain."

Persiana shook her head,

"I've heard stories about this guy. Trust me, he's one of the most dangerous villains you don't want to encounter. Talk to Tigra if you won't take my word for it."

Donna smiled slightly,

"I understand what you are attempting to do, sister. Thank you for making me feel a bit better."

Farrah chuckled,

"Just trying for a friend. Say, when we're finished, let's celebrate with a lot of ice cream!"

Arlington giggled,

"I like it!"

As the teens continued working, however, a strange feeling came over Selene and Donna. The two stopped and, out of both warriors' eyes, they noticed a figure in black and blue spiked armor and holding a black and blue helmet. They both shouted,

"YOU!" 

Next Chapter:

Who did the Amazons see? And, why is he on board the Watchtower? Stay tuned, fellow readers!

(1) This happened in Avengers #215.


	37. Chapter 37

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Selene/Red Knight, and Arlington. _

Chapter 37: Full of Surprises 

Superboy blinked,

"Who's this guy?"

Donna snarled,

"Ares. Our Ares."

Ares, the god of war, and avowed enemy of the Amazons, shook his head,

"Now, is this any way for you to introduce a dear friend?"

Selene hissed,

"You are no friend of ours, monster."  
Ares blinked,

"Now, what did I ever do to deserve such a hostile welcome? I thought Amazons were supposed to be peaceful."

Red Knight wanted to go in, but Miss Martian said,

"Wait."

The brunette Amazon warrior was surprised,

"Are you insane? This is Ares!"

Ares rolled his eyes,

"I'm standing right here, you know."

M'gan said,

"I do not sense him to be a threat to us, but it is hard to say for certain. There is considerable telepathic static I cannot cut through."

Selene glared,

"I still say we should cut through him."

The god of war looked at her,

"You, an amateur swordsman, are going to fight me, a god. You are joking, I hope."

The Amazon swordswoman charged in, sword drawn,

"DIE!"  
Her sword struck Ares' armor hard. It shattered on impact.

The other League members had just adjourned their meeting when J'onn received several telepathic transmissions. He was surprised,

"Ares is on board."  
Diana clenched her fists and flew off to find her arch-nemesis and her sister.

She did not have to go far as she saw Donna holding back Selene. The older princess growled,

"What are you doing here, Ares?"

Ares smiled,

"Now, here's who I was looking for. You really need to tell that Selene to watch her temper."

Persiana shook her head,

"He says he wants to see you, Di. Personally, I don't trust him, no matter how non-threatening he is."

Ares feigned innocence,

"Is all this hostility really necessary?"

The looks he was getting said it all, especially from Diana. Ares sighed,

"I should have expected that. Still, this isn't any way to treat a friend."

Diana glared,

"You and I are not friends, Ares. What do you want?"

The enemy of the Amazons said,

"I have noticed that your lasso was recently destroyed. If I may offer you something…"

He waved his hand, and a briefcase appeared at his feet. Ares picked up the metal briefcase and handed it to Wonder Woman,

"Please, open it."

Diana quizzically looked at the case,

"You're not going to hit me with a pie, are you?"  
Farrah rolled her eyes,

"Oh, come on. That was one time, and that gag was meant for Booster Gold."

Ares blinked,

"Is there something I should know?"

Donna shook her head,

"I would not ask. It does tend to become complicated."

The god of war nodded,

"All right. Now, Diana; please."

Diana carefully opened the briefcase and was quite surprised at what she saw.

It was a golden lasso. Ares smiled,

"Please, accept this. It will work as well as the Lasso of Truth."

Selene looked at him suspiciously,

"Why would you, a god of war and avowed enemy of the Amazons, give Diana a new lasso?"

Ares smiled,

"My dear Selene; I am not merely a god of war. I would like to think of myself as a god of…conflict."

Donna placed her hands on her hips,

"What's the difference? You're still the same jackass creep that all us Amazons hate."

She then blinked,

"I was channeling Farrah again, wasn't I?"

Persiana shrugged,

"Yep. But, still; you've got a point. Why are you helping Wonder Woman?"

Ares could only smile,

"That's for me to know and you to…well, never mind."

He disappeared as quickly as he appeared. The other League members had finally arrived. Superman asked,

"What's going on?"

Wonder Woman looked at the lasso,

"Ares was here."

Red Knight folded her arms,

"The coward ran away."

Batman looked at the lasso,

"Ares gave that to you?"

Diana nodded,

"I don't know why, though."

The Dark Knight said,

"Have Dr. Fate and Zatanna examine it first. Just don't touch it."

"Guys!"

Green Arrow and Black Canary came running down the hall. The emerald archer said,

"I just heard on the news; Lex Luthor is dead!"

Next Chapter:

Is this for real? And, is Ares attempting something sinister with Wonder Woman? Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	38. Chapter 38

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Selene/Red Knight, and Arlington. _

Chapter 38: Staying Dead 

Superman and the other founders of the League could not believe it. The seven heroes were standing in the morgue in Metropolis. In the morgue was Lex Luthor, the man responsible for years of the League's torment, in particular Superman. The Man of Steel was shocked to hear that his nemesis was dead, even more so that he was actually staring at the body of his nemesis.

The doctor came in,

"As you can see, it is Lex Luthor. DNA results confirmed it just now."

Flash shook his head,

"I can't believe it. We're staring at Luthor's dead body."

He looked around,

"Somebody, get a camera; I wanna pose with the body."

John slapped him upside the head,

"You idiot. You can't just desecrate a man's body like that."

Hawkgirl shook her head,

"Even if it is Lex. Nice idea, though."

The former Marine groaned,

"Shayera!"

Batman looked at the body, noting the facial features of the dead industrialist. It was him; all the little quirks were there. This, was in fact, Lex Luthor.

Diana asked,

"Batman, are you all right?"

Batman said,

"It's nothing."

J'onn then picked up a telepathic, one he found odd. He said,

"We should go outside."

Superman looked at his Martian friend,

"What is it?"

"I do not know why, or how this is possible, but I…I am sensing Lex Luthor outside as well."

At this, the League went out of the morgue.

Outside, none of them could believe it. There he was, Lex Luthor, alive and well. Lex was speaking to the media as he said,

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen. I am not dead. Merely a misunderstanding, with all the damage that was done during the Manhunters' invasion."

He then turned and smiled,

"And here are several of the heroes that defeated them."

Lex walked up Superman and shook his hand,

"If it hadn't been for you all, Metropolis would be a large crater right now. I just want to say, on behalf of all the citizens of Metropolis and the entire world; I thank you."

The shock on the League's face said it all. How did Lex pull this one off?

**Later… **

The seven were discussing what had gone on. Batman said,

"Luthor paid someone to impersonate him. I'm sure of it."

Diana asked,

"But what about this DNA? The doctor said it was a perfect match."

Superman shook his head,

"The doctor could have been paid off. You know how Luthor's pockets are deep."

The Dark Knight said,

"I'll look into it. Right now, the rest of us need to recoup our losses."

**A little later… **

Diana was walking alone in the Watchtower. She had to find Dr. Fate and Zatanna and ask them what, if anything, was on the lasso Ares gave her. She was also preoccupied; preoccupied at the fact that Lex Luthor was supposedly deceased. How was he able to pull a thing like this off? The other League members were baffled by this as well, but Batman would be able to get the bottom of this mystery. Or the Question. The Amazon shuddered to think if the Question had to be called in. They would never hear from him for months. Not that would have been a bad thing; him going on and on about the conspiracy manipulating human history.

She looked up and saw Zatanna walking to her, the lasso in her hand. The magician said,

"It's safe to touch. In fact, this thing operates almost exactly like the original lasso…except for one thing."

Diana got nervous,

"What is it?"

"It doesn't pick up on other people's thoughts. Whenever someone just holds the original lasso, it projected their honest feelings. This one doesn't. Other than that…it works."

Diana carefully took the new lasso,

"What is Ares thinking?"

Zatanna shrugged,

"I don't know. I'm not thrilled about it either, but...like my dad always said; never look a gift horse in the mouth."

Wonder Woman nodded,

"I suppose."

She still had reservations.

**Meanwhile… **

Lex Luthor had returned to his office in Metropolis. He was sitting down at his desk, looking out at the skyline. He smirked to himself,

"I love it when a plan comes together."

**Flashback… **

Alex Luthor, the hero of an Anti-matter universe, had arrived in Metropolis via teleporter. He shook his head, frantic,

"They're ahead of me. Thanks to the scrambler, they'll be sent to another dimension, but I have to warn the heroes here."

He began impersonating Lex Luthor and amassed several super villains to his cause in an attempt to overthrow the villains in his world, which were the heroes in the positive matter universe. For months, he had actively interfered in the positive universe's affairs; from creating Superboy, to the War Machine armor, to even recruiting Absorbing Man. However, Alex sadly overplayed his hand when he refused to involve the Joker in his plan and when the madman took the War Machine armor.

When Alex brought Absorbing Man back to LexCorp industries, he was shocked to see the real Lex Luthor had returned. Absorbing Man was confused, until Lex explained everything and that the man he was talking with was not the real Lex. Infuriated, Creel grabbed him and threw him at Lex's feet. The industrialist then had the Joker, who had survived the explosion; torture Alex until he was dead. A quick fix and some make up, Alex Luthor was disposed of in the explosion in Metropolis from the Manhunter invasion.

Next Chapter:

Arsenal meets up with Batman to talk about what happened, and Lance and Bast share a candid moment with each other. Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	39. Chapter 39

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Arlington, and Bast. _

Chapter 39: Coming Around 

**Somewhere in Egypt… **

Bast was on a cliff side, staring out at the Nile. Ten thousand years ago, she was worshipped as a goddess of the people of ancient Egypt. She was a protector, a warrior, and a friend to her worshippers. She always looked out for the weak and defenseless, regardless of what others thought of her.

After her time in the League, and learning of the tactics used by many of its members, the goddess of felines was confused and angry. Times were simpler for her and her followers. If you were guilty, you were punished and executed. Bast could not understand why law was so important. To her, the law was merely a tool used by her archnemisis Set to manipulate people and oppress them.

Lance teleported to her location and said,

"I knew I'd find you here."

The scimitar warrior looked back at him, smiling slightly,

"It is good you have come, Diablos."

Her smile diminished as she looked out again,

"I just do not understand these mortals. Why would they have abandoned someone who has cared for them for thousands of years?"

Lance walked up and looked out with her,

"Maybe someone got tired of the old ways. I tried the whole deity worship thing once. It just didn't seem the right fit for me."

Bast shook her head,

"You are but a child, Diablos, even to me. Once you have grown older, than you will understand how, and why."

She sighed, adding,

"Maybe, one day, I will understand why these mortals abandoned me."

Lance said,

"I thought you would blame Set for something like that."

The feline warrior said,

"At first, I thought that was the case. However, after some time alone here, I realize that not all is Set's doing. Sure, Set is out there, plotting to take over the world, and I must defeat him."

Lance nodded,

"I suppose, but don't you think there might be a way you could do that and understand how the world works as well?"

Bast looked at him, puzzled,

"What do you mean?"

The red-eyed hero explained,

"Just because people abandoned you for worship doesn't mean that there aren't people that need protection. You can adapt your protective nature to their situation."

Bast nodded in understanding,

"I see. I have heard of abusive parents and hostile households."

Lance smiled,

"You could start by opening a shelter for battered women and children, counsel them and teach them to fight back."

Bast shook her head,

"But, it sounds like it would take a lot of patience."

Lance knew that point all too well; Bast was one of the least patient people he knew. Despite being a good hunter, the feline goddess had a very short temper, and would often run wild.

An idea then formed,

"What if you trained them, while I ran the operation?"

Bast asked,

"What?"

"You would train and consul them, while I deal with all the legal matters. That way, you wouldn't have to worry about being bogged down in the semantics of the situation."

Bast did admit; Leon could always deal with people better than she could. He was a skilled negotiator. Finally, the lioness goddess said,

"Sure, why not?"

Lance nodded,

"That's great."

Bast then observed her former lover,

"There is something else, is there? It is about Arlington."

The red-eyed immortal nodded solemnly,

"Yes. After what's happened, I've come to a decision. I am sending Arlington to train with the Amazons."

Bast nodded,

"I see. You wish for her to be trained."

Lance responded, saying,

"No disrespect, but, given what had happened with the symbiotes and the near disaster in Metropolis, I think she should learn the ways to fighting and defending herself. She is still young and still learning about her powers."

Bast nodded in agreement,

"Very wise, Diablos. Very wise indeed. But, how will she take being separated from Red Star?"  
Lance shook his head,

"I'll just convince her that it is best. I'm sure she will be reasonable."

**Meanwhile, in Gotham City… **

Arsenal paced back and forth on the rooftop. It was an hour ago he sent a message to Batman, asking that they meet. Roy sighed, shaking his head,

"I don't know if this is going to work."

Power Girl shook her head,

"Calm down, Roy. The worst thing he can say is no."

Major Disaster folded his arms,

"Come on. Bats has to let us on the team. I mean, we saved his ass back in Gorilla City."

From behind them, the Dark Knight stood in the shadows. A cold wind made the disaster making metahuman turn around and scream girlishly. He jumped into Karen's arms,

"Help me!"

Power Girl dropped him unceremoniously, while Vision stood there, emotionless.

Arsenal swallowed nervously before he approached Batman,

"I want to talk to you about something."

Batman narrowed his eyes,

"You're in my city. Get out."

Arsenal shook his head,

"I know you don't like us, me especially. At least hear what I have to say before kicking us to the curb."

Batman glared at the archer and said,

"One minute, starting now."

Arsenal explained,

"Look, I know you kicked me out, but, with what happened at Checkmate and the Suicide Squad getting disbanded, we had no place to go. And, considering we still want to be heroes, we decided that, if we went to Gorilla City and helped out, hopefully, Wonder Girl would recommend us back on the team. But, it's more than that for me. I want everyone to know I've changed these last few months, and, with the way things went with this Manhunter invasion, we want to tell you that we're ready to fight on your side, no matter what."

The awkward silence was thick. Even the wind had stopped as Arsenal, doing his best, struggled to maintain his eye contact with Batman.  
Bruce finally said,

"Your minute's up."

He called in,

"Five to beam up."

Next Chapter:

What does Batman have in store for the former Checkmate agents? Stay tuned for the final chapter in this story.


	40. Chapter 40

**Strength of the Mind **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Arlington, and Selene. _

Chapter 40: A Few Friendly Faces 

"You can't be serious!"

Persiana was irate to say the least. Batman was meeting with the other founders and stated his intention,

"We bring Arsenal on board, with a few conditions."

The lioness growled,

"Why should we let him and his government buddies in, after what he pulled?"

Flash asked,

"You have a better idea?"

Farrah nodded,

"Yeah, put 'em in Arkham. Roy betrayed this team. He betrayed all of us, especially Green Arrow!"

Batman said,

"I've talked with them. They can come back, if they accept some conditions."

Farrah snapped,

"Like what?"

The Dark Knight said sternly,

"First, Arsenal, Power Girl, Major Disaster, and Vision would each be assigned to different cliques in the League. Power Girl and Major Disaster will be watched by Blue Beetle and the other Super Buddies. Arsenal would be watched by Green Arrow, and the Avengers could watch Vision."

J'onn nodded,

"A wise decision."

Farrah growled,

"I still don't like it. I still don't trust them."

Wonder Woman placed her hand on her friend's shoulder,

"Sister, I know you are upset right now about this."

The feline heroine snapped,

"You're damn right I'm upset! I know what it's like to be betrayed and I don't think that I can deal with it again if it happened!"

Superman said,

"We've all been betrayed by friends at one point or another."

He then left the room. The Man of Steel knew all too well of betrayal. He still had to bury his father.

Hawkgirl nodded solemnly,

"I think we should give them a shot again. I mean, it was sort of unfair when we kicked Roy out the first time."

John folded his arms, still hesitant,

"I mean, I'll go along with it, but I'm with Farrah. This could be bad."

Flash laughed,

"Oh come on. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

A female voice screamed,

"You big breasted bitch! Die!"

It was Fire, and the sounds of a cat-fight had broken out. The Fastest Man Alive grinned,

"Excuse me, ladies and gents."

He zipped away to see the cat-fight.

Wonder Woman shook her head,

"What does Bea see in him?"

Farrah huffed and walked out. She needed to clear her head.

As other founders left, Diana looked over to Batman,

"Bruce? Is something bothering you?"

The Dark Knight was silent and was about to leave the room when the Amazing Amazon stopped him,

"Bruce, something is bothering you. What is it?"

Batman sighed,

"I don't want to talk about it."

Diana stopped him,

"Bruce, you're bothered by what happened with the Manhunter invasion and Luthor's supposed demise. Let me tell you something; for a time, when I was banished, I had to find a way, find strength to go on in an unfamiliar world. Somehow, someway, I made it through because I not only had the strength and gifts of the gods, but I also had friends and allies that I could count on. Men, at first, seemed untamed, but, with time, I grew to trust all of you. You may have been doing this longer, Bruce, but you have to learn to trust people."

Batman asked,

"Do you trust any of them?"

The princess sighed,

"I believe they are sincere. Whether Wonder Girl and Green Arrow feel the same way is up to them. I cannot speak for them."

**Meanwhile… **

The cat-fight between Power Girl and Fire had been broken up, much to the disappointment of Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, Flash, and Major Disaster. Booker shook his head,

"You missed it. Did you see Power Girl's breasts moving up and down so wildly?"

Power Girl flattened Booker into a wall. Vision asked,

"Was that necessary?"

Tigra smirked,

"Trust me, it was."

Karen then walked up to the android and planted a kiss on his lips,

"Come on, stud. Let's go find something to do."

Miss Marvel grumbled,

"And I thought Persiana was shameless."

**Elsewhere… **

John Stewart and Shayera were staring down at Earth, reflecting on the Manhunter invasion. John placed his hand on top of his pregnant girlfriend's hand. Shayera said,

"This baby, John. I know it's going to be a boy."

She looked at the former Marine,

"John, I can never admit this, but I need you, now more than ever."

The architect said,

"I promise to be there for you, Shayera. But, how do you know it's going to be a boy?"

Hawkgirl answered,

"A mother just knows, John."

"Shayera?"

The couple turned and, instantly, John stiffened.

A man dressed in a hawk suit, wielding a similar mace, was standing in front of them. His name is Carter Hall, Hawkman.

Hawkman asked,

"I was wondering, with all the recent loss of people, that I could lend a hand and join up."

The African-American Green Lantern asked,

"Is that all?"

Shayera looked at John,

"John, please."

She then turned back to Hawkman,

"I'm sure the League wouldn't object. I'll have to talk to them about it."

Hawkman nodded,

"Sure. You do that."

Shayera pulled John away. When the two got further down the hall, the Thanagarian female growled,

"What is your problem?"

John looked at her,

"I don't trust him. The guy rants on that you and him have had past reincarnations. I don't believe that."

Shayera dismissed it,

"Calm down. He's just hung on about ancient Egypt. It was nothing then and is nothing now. Besides, we need all the help we can get after what happened, and I trust Hawkman to be a gentleman. So, you be one too, all right?"

John shook his head, but eventually came to her side,

"Fine, for you."

Little did anyone realize that, with these new heroes coming on board, they'd see action a lot sooner than even they realized…

End of Strength of the Mind

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